For many of us, it is the ultimate comfort food, whether it’s fried, baked or mashed the potato can make or break a meal, and it is often the only reliable element if a dish goes array. When we talk about comfort food, we often mean foods that have some sense of nostalgia, even including school dinners!
The jacket potato never really tastes better than emerging from your own oven. Yes, it tastes good as a street food bite but it actually provides a delicious no-nonsense meal at home with only grated cheese and butter! Like most things in the kitchen if you have the inspiration and the right ingredients, then magic can happen with the simplest of dishes.
What makes the potato special is that even the honest ‘chip’ or French fry can turn into a culinary debate over the best and tastiest. For the British, it is the thick cut Fish n Chip shop chips that are carbohydrate heaven, but for the French, a thinner matchstick-like cut is divine.
The perfect mashed potato is the Holy Grail of many a chef. These days some mashers are a far cry from our grandparents use of a large fork, butter and seasoning. Adding olive oil or even lemon to potatoes can bring out such a fabulous flavour sensation you may even forget about the rest of the meal!
Cold potato salads, even when the weather has dropped can make a wonderful side dish to accompany many chicken, pork or vegetarian mains. Explore the recipes below to find your next potato dinner.