From a nostalgic summer staple to a double-carb Italian delight, Rachel Allen’s new potato recipes are spud heaven
Potatoes work a treat in recipes from Italy and the Middle East. Or why not whip up a summery potato salad, or try your hand at preserving some lemons — here are four fab recipes to try
"Potato focaccia, a specialty of Puglia in Italy, sounds almost too good to be true — double carbs with a generous helping of aromatic rosemary" Picture by Tony Gavin
"Ballycotton, our local fishing village, is well known for its spuds." Rachel harvesting potatoes at Ballymaloe. Picture by Tony Gavin
"Use both hands to transfer the focaccia dough into the tray." Picture by Tony Gavin
"I use a super speedy soda-bread base and some grated cheese for an Irish twist that works a dream." Picture by Tony Gavin
Ingredients for Rachel Allen's potato and rosemary soda focaccia. Photo: Tony Gavin
"The fresher the spud, the better the flavour, so don’t leave your potatoes hanging around for long"
"Potato focaccia, a specialty of Puglia in Italy, sounds almost too good to be true — double carbs with a generous helping of aromatic rosemary" Picture by Tony Gavin
At this time of year, we seem to eat a lot of Irish new potatoes at home — boiled, roasted, steamed, served with a barbecue, or turned into potato salad.
Ballycotton, our local fishing village, is well known for its spuds. Whether it is the lovely, salty sea air or the nutritious, fertile soil, or a bit of both, either way, when the potatoes are scrubbed clean and boiled in salted water — or, even better, sea water — and split before being slathered with Irish butter and sea salt, they make a meal fit for royalty.
Potato focaccia, a specialty of Puglia in Italy, sounds almost too good to be true — double carbs with a generous helping of aromatic rosemary and lashings of extra-virgin olive oil. In the version featured here, I use a super speedy soda-bread base and some grated cheese for an Irish twist that works a dream.
If you’re looking for a delicious potato salad to serve with barbecued meat or fish, I recommend this warm potato salad with soft-boiled eggs, below. Leave out the eggs, if you wish, or add crispy bacon or chorizo for an added bite.
And if you’re looking for something with a Middle Eastern vibe, then you might just love the monkfish and new potato tagine, also below. This recipe involves making a chermoula — a Moroccan spice paste made with coriander, cumin and lots of chillies. It’s magic, not only with fish, but with meat, eggs, crusty white bread or some plain boiled Irish new potatoes.
"I use a super speedy soda-bread base and some grated cheese for an Irish twist that works a dream." Picture by Tony Gavin
Soda focaccia with new potatoes, cheese and rosemary
Serves 8-12 You will need:
Serves 8-12 You will need: 400g new potatoes, scrubbed clean Salt and sea salt flakes 175g Cheddar, or Parmesan and Cheddar mixed A good drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, about 50ml-75ml 450g plain flour, plus a little extra for dusting the work surface ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 425ml buttermilk (for dairy-free focaccia, see my Top Tip, below) 1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary (or thyme)
Ingredients for Rachel Allen's potato and rosemary soda focaccia. Photo: Tony Gavin
1 Preheat the oven to 230C, 450F, Gas 6.
2 Put the new potatoes in a saucepan with a good pinch of salt and cover them with boiling water. Bring to the boil and cook the potatoes until they are just tender. The cooking time may vary but check the smaller potatoes after 15 minutes. When the potatoes are cooked, drain them and set them aside for a couple of minutes until they are cool enough to handle, then cut the potatoes into ½cm-thick slices. Set aside.
3 Grate the cheese and set it aside.
4 Brush the inside of a small Swiss-roll tin or roasting tray generously with some extra-virgin olive oil.
5 Sift the plain flour and the bicarbonate of soda into a large mixing bowl, Add a teaspoon of salt. Use your hand to mix together. Make a well in the centre.
6 Pour most of the buttermilk into the well at once — leave a couple of tablespoons in the jug as you may not need it all. Hold one hand like a stiff claw, and mix the flour and buttermilk together by moving your hand around in wide circles — but don’t knead the dough. Add more buttermilk, if necessary. The dough should be soft and a bit wet and sticky.
7 When it all comes together, turn it out on to a floured work surface. Turn the dough over in the flour once, making sure not to knead it or you’ll make it tough. Gently roll it out so that it will fit into the oiled tray. Use both hands to transfer the dough into the tray.
8 Use your fingertips to make dimples in the dough; these will act as little wells for the extra-virgin olive oil. Scatter half of the grated cheese over the dough and a small sprinkling of the finely chopped rosemary. Arrange the potato slices you set aside earlier all over the dough, pressing them down gently so that they don’t fall off when the bread is baked. Scatter the remaining grated cheese and finely chopped rosemary over the top. Drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with some sea salt flakes.
"Use both hands to transfer the focaccia dough into the tray." Picture by Tony Gavin
9 Bake the focaccia in the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and cooked in the centre.
10 If the bread gets a good golden colour and you don’t want it to darken any more, turn the oven down to 200C, 400F, Gas 5 and continue cooking.
11 When the focaccia is cooked but still hot, drizzle a little more extra-virgin olive oil over the top. Allow to cool slightly, then cut into squares to serve.
Top Tip
If you want to make the soda focaccia dairy-free, replace the buttermilk with the same amount of plant-based drink, to which you need to add 1 tablespoon of vinegar.
"Ballycotton, our local fishing village, is well known for its spuds." Rachel harvesting potatoes at Ballymaloe. Picture by Tony Gavin
Warm potato salad with soft-boiled eggs
Serves 4-6 You will need:
Serves 4-6 You will need: 1kg new potatoes, scrubbed clean 4 eggs 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon balsamic or sherry vinegar ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard Sea salt and freshly ground pepper 2 tablespoons capers 8 small cornichons or 1 small gherkin 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 Boil the potatoes in salted water for 20-30 minutes or until tender.
2 While the potatoes are cooking, boil the eggs in their shells for 7 minutes. Drain them and put them in cold water for a few minutes until they are cool enough to peel. Cut the eggs into quarters.
3 Next, make the salad dressing. Put the extra-virgin olive oil, the balsamic or sherry vinegar, whichever you’re using, the Dijon mustard and some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season in a jar and shake until combined.
4 Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them and cut into halves or quarters. Toss them in most of the dressing while they are hot.
5 Transfer the dressed potatoes to a serving plate. Scatter the capers over the top. Slice the cornichons or gherkin, whichever you’re using, and add to the capers, along with the quartered soft-boiled eggs. Finish with the last of the dressing and the chopped parsley. l
Top Tip
The fresher the spud, the better the flavour, so don’t leave your potatoes hanging around for long after digging or buying. Make sure to leave any soil on them until you’re ready to cook, then scrub well and off you go!
"The fresher the spud, the better the flavour, so don’t leave your potatoes hanging around for long"
Monkfish and new potato tagine
Serves 4-6 For the chermoula, you will need:
3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped 1 teaspoon salt Handful of fresh coriander Pinch of saffron stems 2 teaspoons ground cumin 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Juice of a lemon
You will also need: 1kg monkfish tail, cut into 2cm pieces 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 red onion, finely chopped 1 carrot, finely chopped 2 celery stalks, finely chopped ½ a preserved lemon (see recipe below), finely chopped 1 x 400g tin plum tomatoes 500g new potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm pieces Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 300ml water 2-3 tablespoons fresh coriander Salad or couscous, to serve
1 First, make the chermoula. Use a pestle and mortar to pound together the chopped garlic, the chopped chilli, the salt, the coriander, the saffron and the ground cumin. Pound in the extra-virgin olive oil and the lemon juice to form a loose paste. Reserve 2 teaspoons of the chermoula, then put the rest in a bowl with the monkfish pieces. Leave to marinate for at least an hour, preferably two.
2 Place a casserole dish or large saucepan over a medium heat and add the extra-virgin olive oil. When hot, add the finely chopped red onion, the finely chopped carrot and the finely chopped celery. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the vegetables have softened, then stir in the reserved 2 teaspoons of chermoula, the finely chopped preserved lemon, the tinned tomatoes and the new potato pieces. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then cook for 5 minutes to reduce the liquid. Add the water and bring to the boil, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are almost cooked.
3 Add the monkfish pieces along with the chermoula marinade. Gently cook for a further 6-8 minutes until the fish is opaque all the way through. Divide into bowls, scatter the fresh coriander on top and serve with salad or couscous.
Rachel Recommends
British Queens, Orla and Colleen are the three early season potatoes that work really well in the Irish climate. Tradition and the weather states that the chitted potatoes should be planted by St Patrick’s Day, so you know for next year!
Quick preserved lemons
Makes 1 jar You will need:
200ml water 2 tablespoons salt 2 lemons, quartered
1 Put the water and the salt in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the lemons and cook them, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes until the liquid is reduced by half and the lemon rind is tender.
2 Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool.
3 Scrape away and discard the pulp. Store the peels in a jar, covered in olive oil. They will keep for two months in the fridge.
