I don’t need to tell you that it’s December already (in case I do - hey, it’s December already!), but with that comes an inbox that’s awash with festive deals, deals, deals (Del Boy style) and last minute changes to shipping arrangements due to our friends at Royal Mail standing up for themselves. So if I want you to enjoy yet ‘another’ newsletter, I should probably make it useful…

POTATOES

AKA “God’s vegetable”. My mum is Irish and so The Potato has long been a source of delight and humour in our family. I’ve been in charge of cooking our Christmas dinner for almost a decade now. Every year, mum and I tango around the kitchen in perfect rhythm - me carefully finding ways to sneak extra herbs and garlic (garlic makes everything better) into each dish, mum sweeping up the mess behind me. I think I originally offered to take on this mammoth (but now life-affirming) task to get out of going to Midnight Mass the night before The Big Day - I craftily surmised that the swap of my attendance at Church in return for a lovingly prepared, and extensive, meal would be a valuable one. So Christmas Eve is spent peeling the hard veg and not singing carols. Win-win…

I would happily throw my goose-fat-crispy, rosemary and garlic roast potatoes into some sort of Christmas cook-off competition but every self-taught cook seems to have their own successful spin on these. So rather than bore you with My Way, I thought I’d give you a different potato recipe - one that works year-round and pairs with almost everything. That tikka-spice rubbed salmon side on Christmas Eve? Oh yes. That perfectly medium-rare cast-iron scorched T-Bone steak on New Years Day? Definitely. These potatoes are your heavenly win alongside pretty much anything you might be whipping up in the run up to, or after, Christmas Day.

I’ll level with you here, I totally took the initial inspiration for these potatoes from one of my favourite restaurants Prawn On The Lawn, but I’ve tweaked (what I thought was) the original spice mix, added a dusting of genius and created something you’ll almost certainly be served if you come over to my table for dinner.

Spiced Potatoes with Parmesan & Spring Onions

I never use measurements (terrible baker) but for this spice mix, I generally go for equal parts of each spice.

Cumin, Sweet Paprika, Turmeric, Fennel Seeds, Cinnamon, Sea Salt (Maldon for the win)
New or baby potatoes
Olive oil
Spring Onions
Parmesan

Put your potatoes into heavily salted, boiling water and par-boil.

In a pestle & mortar, add all your spices and mash together. I recommend making a load of this and then keeping it in a sandwich bag for future use.

Get a large baking tray and brush the whole thing with a generous layer of olive oil. I use a silicone pastry brush for this.

Once your potatoes are nicely softened, pop them on your baking tray and then ‘smush’ with the underneath of a mug. You want them to be nicely cracked and split but still in-tact. The smaller ones will smush more easily so go easier than on the larger potatoes.

Sprinkle over a generous ‘smattering’ of the spice mix, as well as a healthy glug of olive oil and then brush everything together over the top.

Pop in the oven at about 180 for 45 mins. Don’t mess with them, just let them crisp up and come away from the baking tray by themselves.

Once they are nicely crisped up, remove and put into an attractive serving bowl.

Grate over a generous dusting of parmesan. Don’t be shy.

Finely chop your spring onions (I like the more bulbous ones you find these days as you get a great mix of the white, sweeter oniony end and the more tempered tips), and sprinkle over the top. Again, don’t be shy with the amount as they will beautifully wither in the heat of the potatoes and get wonderfully sweet.

Serve alongside pretty much anything you’re making.

The Smokey Rob Roy

It’s no secret that I’m a Martini girl (I even named my dog Marty), but as the weather turns chillier there’s nothing I love more than a whisper of smoke in my beverage. I’ve experimented lots over the past year with the best possible incarnation of this drink and ended up with the perfect balance of smokey, sweet, and bitter.

50ml Wee Smoky Whisky
25ml Ostara Red Vermouth
Barspoon of Sloe Gin
Nick & Nora Glass (chilled down in the freezer)
Orange twist

Pop your glass in the freezer before you start mixing. Combine 2 parts Wee Smoky with 1 part Ostara Vermouth and a barspoon of Sloe Gin in a mixing glass full of ice. Stir down. The idea is to chill and slightly dilute the mixture. Once perfectly cold and nicely diluted, pour into your chilled Nick & Nora glass and garnish with an orange twist. I usually make double to share with friends or do a speedy top up. Enjoy!

If you happen to make these Magic Potatoes or twist on a Rob Roy, do let me know.

I’ll be back before Christmas - reply to this email and vote for either my recipe for the perfect festive ham (spoiler alert - it involves ginger ale and a ton of English mustard) or those roast potatoes I didn’t want to impose on you.

Smush & Smatter,

RVJ

Potatoes & The Rob Roy