Serves 4

For the smoked Jersey Royal purée 

600g Large Jersey Royals 

100ml Smoked oil 

50g Grated Old Winchester cheese 

50g Unsalted butter 

100ml Milk 

Bake the Jersey Royals in a pre-heated oven at 180oC for 30 – 45 minutes or until soft. Cut each potato in half and pass through a fine potato ricer into a saucepan (approximately 200g of potato flesh is required). Add the oil, cheese and butter and heat gently until everything is melted. Remove from the heat and add the milk. Season to taste with salt.

 

For the salt pastry 

225g Plain flour 

150g Table salt 

20g Egg white 

125ml Water 

Mix all the ingredients to form a pastry. Roll out to 5mm thick. 

 

For the salt-baked Jersey Royals 

4 large Jersey Royals (each weighing around 100g) 

50g Old Winchester cheese 

Wash the potatoes. Wrap each potato individually in the salt pastry to completely encase them. Place on an aluminium foil lined baking tray and bake in a pre-heated oven at 180oC for 40 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before cracking open the pastry and removing the potatoes 

Cut a cross in the top of each potato and squeeze to open and expose the flesh. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the cheese. Add 3 or 4 cheese shavings onto each potato and place in a pre-heated oven at 180oC for 2 minutes. Remove from the oven and flick a blow torch over the cheese and the skin of the potato.

 

For the crispy shallots 

2 Banana shallots 

Cornflour to dust 

Slice the shallots lengthways into fine julienne. Dust with cornflour before deep frying at 140oC until golden brown. Place on absorbent kitchen paper and season lightly with salt 

 

For the onion ash 

1 Onion 

Thinly slice the onion and place under a medium heat grill until deeply caramelised/burnt. Place in a pestle and mortar and crush until a coarse powder is achieved 

 

To finish the dish 

Chives  

Mini ‘lilliput’ capers 

To plate the dish, place a spoonful of smoked Jersey Royal puree on the centre of each plate. Add a cheesy salt-baked potato on top of the puree followed by a generous pinch of onion ash on the potato and around the plate. Next add a sprinkling of capers on top of each potato. Finally finish the dish with the crispy shallots and a large pinch of chopped chives