Fondant Potatoes

It was recently MY BIRTHDAY! And I’d like to thank all my family and friends for making it extra special this year – I’ve had a wonderful weekend of food, drink, presents and more drink and then cake.

And what better way for an Irish girl to celebrate but with a new way to serve potatoes?

I’m not going to lie. These are naughty. Carbs, butter, cheese, cream, you name something delicious and “bad for you” and I’ve put it in here.

These are a more elaborate (read: calorific) version of the hasselback potatoes I have previously made and loved. These are one of these midweek sides which I love – they take a small amount of preparation and then you can just stick them in the oven for the best part of an hour and get on with other things while they get delicious and crispy.

Serves 3

Ingredients

• 9 Charlotte potatoes
• 75g salted butter
• 150ml double cream
• 150ml chicken stock
• 2 garlic cloves
• A splash of fish sauce (nam pla)
• A sprinkling of rosemary
• Zest of half a lemon
• 25g parmesan cheese
• A sprinkling of thyme
• A pinch of salt

Method

Begin by preparing the potatoes. Wash them, then slice nearly the whole way through them, at a thickness of 0.5cm. Easily done the same way you make Hasselback potatoes, put in the well of a wooden spoon and that will allow you to slice almost though the whole spud, while keeping it all intact.

Now, heat the butter in a large pan. When foaming, add the potatoes cut side up. Cook for fifteen minutes, basting and stirring as you go.

Remove the potatoes and clean out the pan of the butter. 

Return the potatoes to the pan, and add in the cream, stock, garlic, fish sauce, rosemary and lemon zest. Stir through to coat the potatoes and bring to a simmering boil. Continue to cook in the pan for seven minutes, and preheat the oven to 220 degrees.

Transfer the whole lot to an oven dish.

Sprinkle over the parmesan, some salt and the thyme. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, checking then before removing. Mine took a shade over that but the oven was slightly cooler.

Serve with the food of your choice. I went with sausages but I could see these being amazing with steak or as a side for a Sunday roast dinner.