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Try out a creamy gratin with layers of potatoes, smoked trout, and cavolo nero, all smothered in a seasoned cream sauce and topped with gruyere. The gratin is the perfect cosy potato centerpiece. For a tasty twist on roast potatoes, cook crisp roast potatoes coated in a lightly spiced butter emulsion made with white wine.

Smoked Trout and Cavolo Nero Potato Gratin

Prep 15 min
Cook 2 hr 15 min
Serves 4

600ml heavy cream
3 garlic, peeled and bashed
2 branches rosemary
3 stalks thyme sprigs
Zest of 1 citrus
A pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper
25g unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
200g black kale, stem removed, leaves roughly sliced
750g starchy potatoes, peeled and cut into 3mm-thick slices
200g thinly sliced fish
3 branches dill, finely chopped
150g finely grated gruyere

Place the cream into a pot and add the garlic, rosemary, thyme, lemon zest, and a dash of nutmeg. Season generously with salt and white pepper, then put over a medium-low heat and bring to a gentle bubble for about 10 minutes, to infuse and thicken. Scoop out and discard the garlic and herbs.

Warm the butter in a skillet on a medium heat, chuck in the sliced onions and fry for a few minutes, until translucent. Add the cavolo nero, salt liberally and fry until the cabbage cooks down. Take off the heat.

Layer the thinly sliced potatoes in a layer in the bottom of a oven-safe rectangular baking dish. Top with a layer of the onions and cavolo nero, then drizzle some of the cream mixture and season. Top with portions of smoked trout and a dusting of chopped dill, then sprinkle over some cheese. Repeat the process until you fill the top of the baking dish, so that the top layer is potatoes crowned 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 maris piper, peeled and quartered
1 bouillon cube
Flaky salt and black pepper
4 tbsp vegetable oil
200ml wine
½ small onion, peeled and minced
3 garlic, peeled and diced
Nutmeg
2 cloves
Zest of 1 lemon, in strips
50g butter
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves removed and minced
2 sprigs thyme, leaves removed and minced
3 stalks sage, leaves picked and finely chopped

Add the cut potatoes in a pan of cold water, mix in the stock cube and salt with salt. Boil , then simmer the potatoes for seven to 10 minutes, until they fall off the tip of a sharp knife. Remove water, then cover a cloth over the colander and let to rest for 10 minutes. While waiting, preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6.

Add the oil into a tray and set it in the oven to get really hot. After the potatoes are steamed, carefully place them to the hot oil and coat with a utensil, so they're completely coated. Cook for 30 minutes, then shake the tray and place in the oven for another 20 minutes.

In the meantime, put a saucepan on a strong heat, pour in the white wine, then mix in the shallots, garlic, nutmeg, cloves, and lemon zest, and cook until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the butter and herbs, then take out and remove the cloves and lemon zest. By this point, the potatoes should be ready.

Toss the potatoes in the butter emulsion, season and serve hot.