MASH ’em, boil ’em, put ’em in a stew – there are so many ways of enjoying the humble spud that there’s now a whole cookbook devoted to potatoes.
Poppy O’Toole, AKA online sensation Poppy Cooks, is releasing The Potato Book on Thursday, and we’ve got some of our fave recipes to try.
Blow the kids’ minds with her scooped-out potato-skin pizzas, or add a pile of delicious honey and mustard hasselbacks to your Sunday roast – they are one of Poppy’s most viral recipes, with more than 20 million people watching the video on TikTok.
There’s a reason Poppy was crowned “The Potato Queen” by none other than Nigella Lawson!
There are 101 recipes to pore over, plus tips on perfecting your potato techniques and new flavours to try.
And of you’re fresh back from a ski trip, or you just love those apres-ski vibes, the tartiflette is a must – gooey, cheesy carbs with that je ne sais quoi – bon appetit!
Tartiflette
Serves: 4
Prep time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 1 hr
Ingredients:
*90g smoked bacon lardons
*500g charlotte potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
*1 onion, diced
*3 cloves garlic, chopped
*500ml vegetable or chicken stock
*200ml double cream
*200g reblochon, or something similar to camembert or brie
Method:
1. Tip the lardons into a medium, oven-safe frying pan and get them over a medium-high heat. Fry for about 8-10 minutes, until crispy and caramelised. Remove from the pan (but leave the fat behind).
2. Add the potatoes and onion to the pan and fry for 10 minutes, until there is a little colour on them. Add your garlic, season with salt and pepper, and return the bacon to the pan.
3. Pour in your stock to just cover the potatoes, bring to the boil and leave to boil until all the liquid has gone. Test the tenderness of the tatties – if they need longer, add in a splash of water and repeat the process.
4. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6.
5. Once the potatoes are tender, turn the heat down a little and pour over your cream. Cook the cream until it has thickened and is almost coating the tats. Take the pan off the heat and slice up your cheese.
6. Layer the gooey cheese over the potato mixture and place it in the oven for 10 minutes, until completely melted. Turn the oven to the grill setting and leave it on high to get some colour on top.
7. Once the cheese is golden and bubbling, carefully remove the pan from the grill. Remember – the handle will be hot. Serve the tartiflette straight away with crusty bread.
Pizza-loaded Skins
Makes: 6
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 1 hr 10 mins
Ingredients:
*3 Maris Piper potatoes
*Olive oil
*1 shallot, diced
*2 cloves garlic, finely grated
*50ml balsamic vinegar
*400g tin chopped tomatoes
*160g ready-mixed grated mozzarella and cheddar
For the toppings:
*Pepperoni slices
*Sliced mushrooms
*Sliced pickled jalapeños
*Pitted olives
*Hot honey
*Whatever you like on your pizza!
Method:
1. Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas mark 7.
2. Rub your potatoes with oil and a good amount of salt, and pierce them all over with a fork. Place them on a rack in the middle of the oven and bake for about 50-60 minutes, until tender on the inside and crisp on the outside.
3. While the potatoes are baking, get a saucepan over a medium heat and add in plenty of olive oil. Add the shallot and fry for 3-4 minutes, until light golden and soft. Add the garlic and fry for a few minutes to soften, then deglaze the pan with the balsamic vinegar and add the chopped tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and leave to reduce and bubble away until thickened – about 15-20 minutes.
4. Once the potatoes are ready, remove them from the oven (but leave the oven on), cut them in half and scoop out the flesh, so you are left with an even-ish layer of potato and skin (you can make this as thick or as thin as you like). You won’t need the flesh for this recipe, but keep it and use it for fishcakes, hash browns and so on.
5. Increase the oven to 240°C/220°C fan/gas mark 9. Spoon the tomato sauce into the skins and top with pepperoni, mushrooms or whichever toppings you like to use. Sprinkle with the cheese and place the skins back in the baking tray. Bake for a further 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted, bubbling and golden.
Honey, Mustard & Garlic Hasselbacks
Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 1 hr
Ingredients:
*6 Maris Piper potatoes
*Neutral oil
*1-2tbsp room-temperature butter
*3-4tbsp runny honey
*1tsp Dijon mustard
*3 cloves garlic, finely grated
Method:
1. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6.
2. One potato at a time, lay the handles of two wooden spoons either side of the potato, then make vertical cuts all along the length so that you cut almost through, but the spoon handles stop you going through completely. Chopsticks will do a good job of this, too, if you have them.
3. Get the potatoes into a baking tray and drizzle oil all over, rubbing it into those cuts. Heavily sprinkle the potatoes with salt and pepper, then place the baking tray on the middle shelf and bake the potatoes for 30–40 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven, brush the potatoes with the butter (gently open the cuts with a knife, just to help get all that buttery goodness inside), and return them to the oven for a further 15 minutes, until golden and cooked all the way through.
4. Towards the end of the cooking time, grab a small saucepan and add the honey, mustard and garlic. Cook over a low–medium heat for 5 minutes, until bubbling.
5. Once the potatoes are ready, evenly pour the honey, mustard and garlic glaze over the top, making sure they all get a good helping. Get them back in the oven for a final 10 minutes, until bubbling, sticky and completely caramelised.
6. Serve up the sticky potatoes with a nice pinch of flaky salt, just like the chefs do on the telly.
What do we know about Meghan Markle’s new cooking show, With Love, Meghan?
MEGHAN Markle’s new Netflix documentary trailer shows her cooking with Hollywood pals.
The Duchess of Sussex gave fans an insight into her show, With Love, Meghan, which airs soon.
There will be eight 33 minute episodes featuring a host of Meg’s various Hollywood friends trying her simple, yet “elevated”, food.
A montage of various clips in the nearly two-minute video showed Meghan walking through vegetable patches and fields.
She was also filmed browsing florists, hand-selecting beautiful flowers for table arrangements, showing off her creative side.
The Duchess even tried her hand at beekeeping, fully suited up, as she collected honey.
In the exciting new trailer, Meghan shared: “I’ve always loved taking something pretty ordinary and elevating it.
“Surprising people with moments that let them know I was really thinking of them.
“I’m going to share some little tips and tricks. I see what colour I gravitate to, and everything goes from there. And how you incorporate these practices every day.
“This is about connecting with friends… I love that we’re doing this together for the first time. Making new friends… and just learning.
“We’re not in the pursuit of perfection. We’re in the pursuit of joy. I have to get it totally wrong, to get it totally right.”
The trailer showcased many “candid” moments, from Meghan accidentally squeezing some lemon juice in her eye, to knocking freshly baked goodies off a plate.
Prince Harry featured at the end of the video, embracing his wife in a warm hug.
