Aromatic olive oil mash

Ingredienti

Serves four

1kg Desiree potatoes, peeled and cut into

3cm pieces

6 thyme sprigs (5g)

3 mint sprigs (5g)

4 garlic cloves, peeled

I lemon: finely shave the skin to get 5 strips

100ml olive oil

salt and black pepper

TOPPING

60ml olive oil

I garlic clove, crushed

2 tsp thyme leaves, finely chopped about 8 mint leaves, finely chopped (to get

2 tsp)

I lemon: finely grate the zest to get I tbsp, then juice to get 1 tbsp

Istruzioni

Creamy mash is hard to beat, but / often prefer olive oil-based mashes, especially if the centrepiece of the meal is already very rich. Adding aromatics to your cooking water is a great way to jazz up mash. I've used thyme, mint, lemon and garlic here, but try experimenting with different herbs and spices. Get ahead by peeling and cutting the potatoes up to 6 hours in advance if you like. Just keep them in a pot of cold water and drain before starting the recipe.

I. Put the potatoes, thyme sprigs, mint sprigs, garlic, lemon skin and 2 teaspoons of salt into a large saucepan. Cover with enough boiling water to rise 2cm above the potatoes. Simmer gently for about 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft enough to mash.

2. While the potatoes are boiling, make the topping. Put the oil, garlic, thyme leaves, mint leaves, lemon zest and juice into a small bowl with teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Stir to combine, and set aside.

3. Drain the potatoes into a sieve set over a large bowl (you'll use some of the cooking water later, so don't throw it all away. Pick out the thyme and mint sprigs, then return the potatoes to the saucepan (along with the garlic and lemon peel). Use a masher to mash the potatoes, adding 100ml of oil and about 140ml of the cooking water slowly as you go, until you get a smooth mash.

4. Transfer the mash to a platter and use the back of a spoon to create dips in the surface. Drizzle the herb and garlic oil topping evenly over and finish with a good grind of black pepper.