The ritual of unearthing our first potatoes of the year is something to savour. The anticipation of whether it will be a good crop or blighted. Feast or famine?
I love watching the tines of the fork breaking up dark soil and after we have gathered the obvious, little hands rummaging for any lost or unrevealed pale orbs who might still need to come, blinking, into the daylight. For us, digging our earlies is a sign of summer, even though the weather might not be telling the same story.
This photo turned into a homage to the cover shots of Mollie Makes magazine!
To harvest new potatoes, the key is to only take what you need to cook. They store better in the ground than anywhere else. Aim for a morning harvest on a dry day, and once dug, leave on the top of the soil for a few hours to dry a little. If you do need to harvest and store, follow the above process, but at the end of the day place in a breathable container such as a hessian sack or paper bags (something breathable) and store in a completely dark position.
Phil Lewis, local chef and believer in simple, honest cooking of the best available ingredients, shares his favourite recipe for freshly dug waxy potatoes.
Quarter and boil small Charlottes or Maris Peer in salted water until tender. Drain well and allow temperature to drop to ‘slightly warm’. Add a liberal amount of homemade mayonnaise, along with finely chopped shallots and lots of chopped dill. Mix carefully and finish with some reserved dill sprigs and chopped shallots scattered on top. Serving with the warmth still lingering will bring out all the flavours involved, but it’s also tasty cold.