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Indulge in a creamy gratin that combines potatoes, smoked trout, and cavolo nero, all coated in a aromatic cream sauce and topped with gruyere. The gratin is the ultimate cosy potato main course. And for savory take on crispy spuds, prepare crisp roast potatoes tossed in a lightly spiced butter emulsion made with white wine.

Layered Potato and Fish Bake

Prep 15 min
Cook 2 hr 15 min
Serves 4

600ml rich cream
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and bashed
2 branches rosemary
3 stalks thyme
Zest of 1 citrus
Grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper
25g unsalted butter
1 brown onion, peeled and cut into thin slices
200g cavolo nero, stems removed, leaves chopped
750g potatoes, peeled and cut into 3mm-thick slices
200g cold trout
3 sprigs dill, minced
150g shredded cheese

Pour the cream into a pan and mix in the garlic, rosemary, thyme, lemon zest, and a pinch of nutmeg. Spice well with salt and white pepper, then set over a gentle flame and simmer for about 10 minutes, to flavor and thicken. Scoop out and discard the garlic and herbs.

Heat the butter in a pan on a medium flame, chuck in the sliced onions and cook for a few minutes, until softened. Stir in the cavolo nero, salt liberally and fry until the cabbage cooks down. Take off the heat.

Layer the cut potatoes in a row in the bottom of a large baking baking dish. Top with a portion of the onions and cavolo nero, then drizzle some of the cream mixture and pepper. Top with pieces of smoked trout and a handful of chopped dill, then sprinkle over some cheese. Repeat the layering process until you get to the top of the baking dish, making sure the top layer is potatoes topped with cream and cheese.

Bake at 170C for about 2 hours, or until tender all the way through.

Spiced White Wine Roasties

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

6 starchy potatoes, peeled and halved
1 vegetable stock cube
Flaky salt and black pepper
4 tbsp vegetable oil
200ml dry white wine
½ small onion, peeled and chopped
3 garlic, peeled and minced
A grating of nutmeg
2 cloves
Strips of 1 lemon, in strips
50g rich butter
2 sprigs rosemary, leaves picked and minced
2 stalks fresh thyme, leaves removed and finely chopped
3 branches fresh sage, leaves picked and finely chopped

Place the prepared potatoes in a pan of cool water, add the stock cube and flavor with salt. Bring to a boil , then cook the potatoes for seven to 10 minutes, until they easily pierced. Remove water, then cover a cloth over the colander and leave to steam-dry for 10 minutes. While waiting, warm the oven to 200C.

Pour the oil into a baking tray and put it in the oven to get extremely hot. After the potatoes are dried, slowly add them to the hot oil and coat with a pair of tongs, so they're well oiled. Cook for 30 minutes, then give them a shake and place in the oven for another 20 minutes.

In the meantime, place a saucepan on a high flame, include the white wine, then stir in the shallots, garlic, nutmeg, cloves, and lemon zest, and cook until the liquid has halved. Stir in the butter and herbs, then fish out and throw away the cloves and lemon zest. At this stage, the potatoes ought to be done.

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