Matthew Fort FROM PATCH TO PLATE
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ew potatoes, freshly dug, cooked within the hour and put reverently on the plate and slathered with butter, lots of butter, are one of the true glories of the vegetable world. The potato has come along way since it was brought to Britain from the Americas by Sir Walter Raleigh and others in the 16th century. It was regarded as a wonder then, and is still a wonder today. For me, the wonder begins with lifting the clods of earth, watching them break apart to give a glimpse of cream-coloured treasure buried in the surrounding dark earth. Gently, I lever each potato (in this case the rather unromantically named International Kidney, aka Jersey Royal) from its earthy setting and pop it into a trug. I’m not sure why a new potato should mean more to me than, say a new carrot or a new beetroot, but it just does. What better way to celebrate the first of the season’s potatoes than by inviting friends to lunch outdoors on a warm June day?
I know mine will appreciate sitting in the dappled shade, sipping a glass or so of vigorous rosé and tucking into the best I can serve up. There are a few basic principles behind eating outdoors that need to be born in mind. First, keep things simple – you don’t need a lot of fuss and faff when you have to transport food from the kitchen to the table in the garden. Secondly, you need dishes that taste good whether hot, warm or even cold. And thirdly, you need to focus on the quality of your fresh ingredients. When faced with the great outdoors, there is a basic male instinct to go the barbecue route. It’s simple, quick(ish), has a certain theatricality and seems less trouble than it usually turns out to be. I have nothing against the barbecue, but it’s more like a pagan feast than a casual lunch for four in June. You want something lighter, more delicate, and if protein you must have, then it should also be in keeping with the time and tone of the day. In which case, I almost invariably opt for roast chicken. Plain it may be, even a little on the predictable side, but I have never known people actually turn up their
noses at a well-roasted chook. “Roast chicken! My favourite”, “Chicken, just what I fancy on a day like this”, “Ah, chicken, that’s perfect”, tend to be the responses I receive. Nor is a chicken an egotist of the table. It doesn’t shout, “Chicken! Look at me! Aren’t I clever!” It is subtle, mellow, unshowy, and therefore the perfect complement to the clear and sparkling flavours of any freshly harvested vegetables. Indeed, if I had one desert island dish, it would be roast chicken and gravy with vegetables from my garden – new potatoes, naturally, leading the way. That is all that is needed, really. Maybe a cheese or two, (British, naturally). And a pudding, of course – early raspberries swaddled in double cream and dusted with caster sugar. Why make life more complicated? This seems the proper way to celebrate summer and the happiness of eating outdoors. My guests always think so and end up staying all afternoon. About Matthew An award-winning food writer and critic, Matthew was Food & Drink Editor of The Guardian for 15 years and a judge on BBC TV’s Great British Menu. He is also the author of four books on food and travel.
POTATO SALAD When the hunger for cooked new potatoes slathered in butter has worn off, you can turn to potato salad for a change, which is a joy in its own right. Choose a waxy potato - International Kidney, Charlotte, Ratte, Pink Fir Apple, Belle de Fontenay, Nicola. The potatoes should be no bigger than a hen’s egg, and if they are, slice them in half before cooking.
110 THE ENGLISH HOME
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS 500g new potatoes, washed not peeled 250ml chicken stock 1 tsp Dijon mustard 2 dsp red wine vinegar 6 dsp vegetable oil or vegetable oil and olive oil Salt and pepper 1 small bunch of dill, chives or tarragon)
METHOD • Mix the mustard, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper (to taste). Add the chicken stock. • Put the potatoes in a saucepan and pour the dressing and chicken stock in to cover them. • Bring the potatoes to the boil and boil hard until they are cooked, around 20 minutes. • The potatoes will absorb some of the dressing as they
cook. The liquid will reduce, but there should still be enough to give the potatoes a glossy look at the end. • If it looks as if the potatoes will boil dry before they are ready, add a little more chicken stock. • Once cooked, place the potatoes on a dish and scatter with the dill, chives or tarragon. Can be a eaten warm or cold. ■
PORTRAIT GRANT SCOTT PHOTOGRAPH © NELEA33/SHUTTERSTOCK ILLUSTRATION © FIRST VECTOR TREND/SHUTTERSTOCK
In praise of the first potatoes of the growing season and the best way to eat them – with friends and a vigorous rosé
