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Discover a luxurious gratin featuring potatoes, smoked trout, and cavolo nero, all enveloped in a seasoned cream sauce and crowned with cheese. The gratin is the ultimate cosy potato main course. As a flavorful twist on roast potatoes, try crisp roast potatoes coated in a lightly spiced butter emulsion made with white wine.

Layered Potato and Fish Bake

Prep 15 min
Cook 2 hr 15 min
Serves 4

600ml rich cream
3 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 stalks thyme sprigs
Zest of 1 fresh lemon
A pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper
25g butter
1 onion, peeled and cut into thin slices
200g Tuscan kale, de-stemmed, leaves cut
750g maris piper, peeled and cut into slices
200g thinly sliced trout
3 sprigs dill, minced
150g grated gruyere

Place the cream into a saucepan and mix in the garlic, rosemary, thyme, lemon zest, and a dash of nutmeg. Salt generously with salt and white pepper, then put over a gentle flame and bring to a gentle bubble for about 10 minutes, to flavor and creamify. Take out and remove the garlic and herbs.

Heat the butter in a skillet on a medium heat, chuck in the sliced onions and saute for a few minutes, until tender. Stir in the cavolo nero, salt generously and saute until the cabbage softens. Turn off the heat.

Layer the thinly sliced potatoes in a row in the bottom of a large rectangular baking dish. Layer with a portion of the onions and cavolo nero, then pour over some of the cream mixture and salt. Top with pieces of smoked trout and a handful of chopped dill, then sprinkle over some cheese. Continue the layering process until you get to the top of the baking dish, making sure the final layer is potatoes covered with cream and cheese.

Bake at 170C for an hour and 45 minutes, or until soft all the way through.

Herb-Infused Roast Potatoes

Prep 15 min
Cook 1 hr 10 min, plus cooling
Serves 4

6 starchy potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
1 stock cube
Salt and pepper
4 tbsp oil
200ml dry white wine
½ shallot, peeled and finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and diced
Nutmeg
2 cloves
Strips of 1 fresh lemon, peeled off in strips
50g butter
2 branches rosemary, leaves plucked and chopped
2 stalks thyme, leaves removed and finely chopped
3 stalks sage, leaves plucked and minced

Add the prepared potatoes in a pan of water, include the stock cube and season with salt. Boil , then cook the potatoes for about 10 minutes, until they easily pierced. Strain, then cover a cloth over the colander and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C.

Pour the oil into a baking tray and put it in the oven to get very hot. After the potatoes are steamed, gently add them to the hot oil and turn with a tongs, so they're well oiled. Cook for 30 minutes, then toss them and return in the oven for additional time.

Meanwhile, set a saucepan on a high flame, include the white wine, then add the shallots, garlic, nutmeg, cloves, and lemon zest, and cook until the liquid has reduced by half. Stir in the butter and herbs, then remove and discard the cloves and lemon zest. Now, the potatoes are likely cooked.

Mix the potatoes in the butter emulsion, pepper and serve hot.