Recipes: Roast beef stovies, Italian-style potato salad

UNLESS you are on the Atkins diet, it's hard to imagine a world without potatoes. Ever since Sir Walter Raleigh first pulled one out of his knapsack, this unassuming tuber has become arguably our biggest gastronomic obsession. Whether it's a creamy dauphinoise potato accompaniment to a high-end cut of meat in a posh restaurant, or the crispy bits at the bottom of a bag of chips, the Brits do love potatoes.

Of course, we Scots have a particularly close relationship with tatties. While the fries-with-everything approach has undoubtedly given our nation a fitness headache, many of the healthy eaters among us still include a fortnightly visit to the chippie on our list of guilty pleasures.

However, despite the massive popularity of this menu staple, many potato-eaters are strangely ignorant of the different species and varieties available. If you're one of those people for whom a spud is a spud and wouldn't know the difference between a Shetland Black and an Arran Victory, then maybe it's time you did a little research, or better still took a trip to your nearest farmers' market.

While most local farmers and market gardeners start sowing potatoes in late March for harvesting in May or June, the new British potato season kicks off this month with the famous Jersey Royals, and if you're a fan of a waxy potato these are hard to beat, especially in salads.

When you're scanning the shelves in your supermarket or greengrocer there will be a few other names you are bound to recognise. Golden Wonder is the classic floury-fleshed potato, ideal for baking or chip-making, while the likes of Maris Pipers and King Edwards are high-quality strains that will do most jobs required of a tattie, except maybe for making potato salad. And over the last few years, the pink-skinned Desiree has become many chefs' favourite.

While most dishes in the great British cookbook require potatoes as a component or an accompaniment, it's comparatively rare for the tattie to take centre stage. However, most cultures seem to have a potato dish designed to make use of leftovers and ours would be that Burns' Night and rugby club favourite, the stovie.

Otherwise, potato salads will offer you an endless list of varieties and flavours. Your basic potato, dill and mayonnaise version will do the job, but you could also try combinations using pesto and olives, or bacon, garlic and onion.

So with steaming, baking, boiling or roasting potatoes the healthier and more interesting alternatives to frying them, it's no use blaming our chronically unimaginative obsession with chips on poor Sir Walter Raleigh. Tobacco was definitely his responsibility, though.

Andy McGregor is chef/proprietor at Blonde Restaurant, 75 St Leonard's Street, 0131-668 2917

Italian-style potato salad, serves 6-8 as a side

Ingredients

1.2kg baby potatoes, washed

200g bacon, diced

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, crushed

50g flat-leaf parsley, washed and chopped

Olive oil

Sea-salt and ground black pepper

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 200C.

Boil the potatoes until just beginning to soften, then cool under a tap and drain. Place on a baking tray and drizzle liberally with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in the oven for 45 mins to 1 hour, until flesh has darkened and they are soft enough to squeeze. Allow to cool then cut each potato in half. Warm some olive oil in a pan and fry the onion, bacon and garlic until soft. Mix through the halved potatoes along with the parsley. Season and then serve at room temperature.

Roast-beef stovies, serves 6

Ingredients:

1.25kg potatoes, peeled and diced

100g beef dripping or lard

2 large onions, diced

200ml beef stock

500-700g cold roast beef

Salt and pepper

Method:

In a large pot fry the onion with the lard or dripping for 2 mins, then add the potatoes, beef and stock and cook for a further 10 mins, stirring regularly. Put into an oven dish and into a medium oven for about half an hour until potatoes are breaking down and browning on top.