A celebration without spuds is really no celebration at all. Whether you keep things humble with nothing but butter or go for something more performative, choosing the right variety of potato for the job is essential, as is the addition of fat and salt. “They’re the three things that make potatoes amazing,” says Elliot Hashtroudi, head chef at Camille which opened in Borough Market, London, last month. Chips are the prime example, though that’s not to say potatoes should be confined to a side: “They’re always the bridesmaid, but never the bride, so make a main out of them for Easter,” Hashtroudi says.
With the long weekend falling earlier than usual this year, you’d be hard pushed to better a tartiflette. You’ll need waxy potatoes, plus the usual creme fraiche, onions, lots of garlic, white wine and reblochon cheese, but Hashtroudi would “put a spin on things” by swapping the traditional lardons for smoked eel. “Cheese, potatoes, a bit of wine: you can’t really go wrong,” he says. “A simple side salad with that, plus chocolate for after.”
But back to sides, of which potatoes are “arguably the most important”, according to chef Claude Bosi. “They can be prepared in so many ways, so why stick to the usual boiled, fried or roast?” He’s not kidding, either: at his new bouchon Joséphine in west London, there’s an entire PDT (that’s pomme de terre) section on the menu, with options from pommes duchesse to puree. But it’s gratin dauphinois that Bosi would serve at Easter: “Creamy, dreamy, delicious.” Bring to a simmer a litre each of whole milk and double cream, plus two garlic cloves, two rosemary sprigs, a little thyme, and some salt and pepper, then leave to cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, peel and slice four large desiree potatoes, ideally on a mandoline, then soak them in the milk and cream mix for 20 minutes. “Pour some of the liquid into an oven dish, then make a layer of sliced potatoes covering the entire surface, season and pour in more of the liquid.” Bosi repeats that process twice more, before finishing with enough liquid to come 1cm above the potatoes. “Then just bake at 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5 for 45 minutes to an hour, until cooked through, golden and bubbling.”
It’s also never too early to consider barbecuing. “I love smoking or grilling potatoes,” says chef Michael Robins of Sune in east London. Currently he’s on a ratte kick (the small, buttery French variety): he steams or boils them in salted water with bay leaves and peppercorns until they’re nice and soft. “You can even do this the day before [in which case, drain well and keep in the fridge].” When it’s time to eat, toss the spuds in oil, season and get them on a hot barbecue. “You just need a little char on the skin and to warm them through,” he says. Then it’s just a matter of tossing them with olive oil, a big squeeze of lemon and some chopped dill: “So simple, but so nice.”
The other brilliant thing about potatoes is that they’re a great vehicle to take on spices, too, says Ayo Adeyemi, executive chef at London’s Michelin-starred Akoko. He would, however, go slightly off-piste with sweet potatoes (yes, they’re a root, not a tuber), adding cayenne, ground ginger, smoked paprika, garlic and onion powder. “Once braised in chicken stock, they take on a wonderful flavour that would be a tasty addition to Easter lamb.”
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