Roasted potatoes with aïoli and buttered pine nuts

Kebab shop fries with mayo are the inspiration for this dish, although this version is a little more involved. There’s a generous sauce-to-potato ratio here, which is kind of naughty, but also what you really, truly want. This goes really well with the black lime beef skewers (this page).

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Step 2

2. Put the potatoes and 2 teaspoons of salt into a medium saucepan and pour in plenty of cold water, to cover by about 1½ inches/4cm. Place on medium-high heat, bring to a boil, then simmer for 6 minutes, or until the potatoes are almost cooked through but still with a bite. Drain them in a sieve and pat dry, then transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and toss with the oil, ⅓ teaspoon of salt, and a good grind of pepper. Roast, stirring once or twice, for 35 minutes, or until deeply golden. Stir in the parsley.

Step 3

3. Meanwhile, make the aïoli by putting the garlic, mustard, egg, yolk, and ¼ teaspoon of salt into the bowl of a food processor and blitzing until combined, about 10 seconds. With the machine still running, add both oils in a very slow and steady stream, until you have a loose, mayonnaise-like consistency. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the lemon juice and yogurt, and set aside (or refrigerate) until needed.

Step 4

4. Put the butter into a small sauté pan on medium heat. Once melted, add the pine nuts and cook until golden, about 3–4 minutes. Stir in the paprika, then remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl.

Step 5

5. Spread the aïoli out on a round shallow platter. Top with the warm potatoes and spoon the buttered pine nuts over the top.

Step 6

Make it your own:

Step 7

– If you can’t find baby new potatoes, just use regular new potatoes and cut them into ½-inch/1½cm slices.

Step 8

– Play with the nuts. Roughly chopped blanched almonds or hazelnuts would be great here!

Step 9

– Veganize it: use chickpea mayo (this page) instead, and olive oil in place of the butter.