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Caramelized Potatoes with OrangeÌý(pictured)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1kg/2lb 3oz small new potatoes, scrubbed but unpeeled

100g/ ½ cup caster (superfine) sugar

75g/1 1/3 cup butter

Finely grated zest of ½ sour orange and juice of 2 sour oranges (or zest

of ½ orange and ½ lime, juice of 1 orange and 1 lime)

Sea salt

Method:

Put the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and add salt. Simmer until knife-tender, around 12–15 minutes. Drain and cool under running water, then peel them, if you like – you should find that the skins slip off very easily.

Melt the sugar in a large, heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Leave it alone, perhaps just giving it a shake every so often, until it has caramelized – it will start around the edges and eventually turn a light golden brown. Add the butter (be careful, it may splutter) and allow it to melt into the caramel, keeping the stirring to a minimum.

Whisk in the zest, juice and a pinch of salt. Add the potatoes then leave to cook, slowly, and turning regularly, until the caramel has reduced down and the potatoes are well coated.

Cheat’s Preserved Lemons (or Limes, or Oranges …)

I have made this with Seville oranges, blood oranges, limes and grapefruit. All wonderful. Citrus preserved this way will keep indefinitely in the refrigerator, but will gradually lose its vibrancy of colour. To preserve it for longer, you can freeze it.

Ingredients:

4 unwaxed lemons (or any other type of citrus, see above)

1 tsp sea salt

Method:

Pare the zest from the lemons in large slices, preferably with a swivel peeler, then trim off any excess white pith. Put in a small saucepan, squeeze the pared lemons and add the juice to the pan along with the sea salt. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for around 10 minutes or until the zest is tender.

Allow to cool and keep in a sterilized jar in the refrigerator until needed. It will keep for months, but can be used immediately.

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Recipes are from ‘°ä¾±³Ù°ù³Ü²õ’ by Catherine Phipps (Quadrille)

Potato photo: Mowie Kay