Delicious Potato Creations: Fish and Potato Bake and Spiced Roast Potatoes

Try out a rich gratin with layers of potatoes, smoked trout, and cavolo nero, all smothered in a herb-infused cream sauce and crowned with a cheesy crust. This dish is the ideal comforting potato main course. For a tasty variation on crispy spuds, prepare crisp roast potatoes coated in a lightly spiced butter emulsion using white wine.

Layered Potato and Fish Bake

Prep 15 min
Cook 2 hr 15 min
Serves 4

600ml rich cream
3 garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
2 branches rosemary
3 stalks fresh thyme
Zest of 1 citrus
Nutmeg
Seasoning
25g unsalted butter
1 brown onion, peeled and cut into thin slices
200g Tuscan kale, de-stemmed, leaves chopped
750g potatoes, peeled and cut into slices
200g thinly sliced smoked trout
3 branches dill, chopped
150g grated gruyere

Pour the cream into a pan and mix in the garlic, rosemary, thyme, lemon zest, and a grating of nutmeg. Season well with salt and white pepper, then place over a low heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, to flavor and thicken. Take out and remove the garlic and herbs.

Melt the butter in a pan on a moderate heat, toss in the sliced onions and saute for four to five minutes, until softened. Include the cavolo nero, pepper well and cook until the cabbage softens. Take off the heat.

Arrange the thinly sliced potatoes in a row in the bottom of a deep baking baking dish. Top with a portion of the onions and cavolo nero, then drizzle some of the cream mixture and pepper. Top with portions of smoked trout and a handful of chopped dill, then top with some cheese. Repeat the process until you get to the top of the baking dish, making sure the top layer is potatoes crowned with cream and cheese.

Cook at 170C for an hour and 45 minutes, or until soft all the way through.

Spiced White Wine Roasties

Prep 15 min
Cook 1 hr 10 min, plus cooling
Serves 4

6 maris piper, peeled and cut into quarters
1 bouillon cube
Seasoning
4 tbsp vegetable oil
200ml wine
½ shallot, peeled and minced
3 garlic, peeled and minced
Nutmeg
2 spice cloves
Strips of 1 citrus, peeled off in strips
50g rich butter
2 stalks fresh rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
2 branches fresh thyme, leaves plucked and chopped
3 stalks sage, leaves picked and finely chopped

Put the quartered potatoes in a saucepan of cool water, mix in the stock cube and flavor with salt. Heat , then cook the potatoes for about 10 minutes, until they fall off the tip of a sharp knife. Drain, then cover a towel over the colander and let to rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C.

Pour the oil into a roasting pan and set it in the oven to get really hot. Once the potatoes are steamed, carefully transfer them to the hot oil and coat with a tongs, so they're well oiled. Cook for 30 minutes, then toss them and return in the oven for another 20 minutes.

While roasting, put a large pan on a high heat, pour in the white wine, then add the shallots, garlic, nutmeg, cloves, and lemon zest, and reduce until the liquid has thickened. Stir in the butter and herbs, then remove and discard the cloves and lemon zest. Now, the potatoes are likely cooked.

Coat the potatoes in the butter emulsion, salt and enjoy right away.