This time last year, a couple of kilos of dirt-covered early potatoes from Pembrokeshire arrived on my doorstep. Like Anglesey sea salt, this variety of new potato is legally protected for the particular flavour the local soil imparts. Today’s recipes put them to work: a sort of vegetarian niçoise with a mustard dressing and an easy, cheesy, potato-topped flatbread. Of course, any variety of new potato could be used here.
Quick new potato and red onion flatbreads (pictured above)
This is essentially a cheat’s way to a white pizza with potato. If you’d like to add a little more green, pile it with shaved asparagus or peppery salad leaves when it comes out of the oven. If you want to make your own flatbreads, try this recipe for yoghurt flatbreads.
Prep 10 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 2
1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
Olive oil
4 new potatoes
A few sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
2 flatbreads
Salt and black pepper
4 tbsp creme fraiche or ricotta
About 20g parmesan (I use a vegetarian one)
Bring a pan of salted water to a boil. Put a frying pan on a medium heat, add a little olive oil and the sliced onions, and cook for about 10 minutes, until soft and sweet.
Slice the potatoes as thinly as you can – you could use a mandoline here. Blanch the sliced potatoes in the boiling water for about two to three minutes, until they have lost their rawness but still hold their shape. Drain and leave to steam dry, then toss with the thyme, some salt and pepper, and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.
Lay the flatbreads on a baking tray and heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas 6. Spread the creme fraiche or ricotta over the breads, top with the onions, then the potatoes, and finish with a good grating of parmesan.
Cook for eight to 10 minutes, until everything has melted together.
New potato salad with capers and eggs
I start making this salad when the asparagus and new potatoes arrive in May, and stop when the nights begin to draw in. The vegetables change with the season, but this version is my favourite – one that makes the most of the best tomatoes and runner beans. The key to this salad is the sharp dressing, which mellows as it hits the vegetables. Pour it over the potatoes while they are warm, crushing them a little so the dressing flavours them all the way through.
Prep 10 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 4
500g new potatoes
Flaky sea salt
4 eggs
100g kalamata olives
1 small cucumber
300g mixed ripe tomatoes
2 tbsp baby capers
300g runner or green beans, topped and tailed and cut on the diagonal into 3cm pieces
A few sprigs of dill and parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped
Lemon zest (optional)
For the dressing
3 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp wholegrain mustard
4 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp white-wine vinegar
1 tsp runny honey
Put the new potatoes into a medium saucepan with a generous pinch of salt and cover with lots of cold water – you need a good amount of water as you will be adding other things to the pan later. Bring to a boil, then leave to simmer for 12–20 minutes (depending on their size).
In another small pan, bring some salted water to a rolling boil, add the eggs and cook for six minutes, so the middles are only just set; if you’d like them hard-boiled, cook for one minute more. Run the cooked eggs under cold water for 30 seconds, then crack the shell on a hard surface and leave to cool.
Meanwhile, make the dressing by whisking together all the ingredients, then taste and season. You want it to be quite punchy, because it will mellow when it hits everything else.
Pit the olives and rip them in half. Slice the cucumber thickly. Roughly chop the tomatoes into different sized pieces and season well with salt. Put them all into a large bowl with the capers.
When the potatoes are nearly cooked, add the beans to the pan and cook for the final three to four minutes. Drain everything and leave to steam dry in the colander. Once the potatoes have lost their moisture, add them to the bowl while they are still warm and pour over the dressing. Use the back of a spoon to crush them lightly, so they split and soak up some of the dressing.
Peel the cooled eggs and cut into quarters, dot them around the bowl and finish with the chopped herbs and lemon zest, if using.
