ABSOLUTE ESPRESSO RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Add all the flatbread ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix together with a spoon, then use clean hands to pat and bring everything together.
  2. Dust a clean work surface with flour, then tip out the dough.
  3. Knead for a minute or so to bring it all together (this isn’t a traditional bread recipe, so you don’t need to knead it for long – just enough time to bring everything together).
  4. Put the dough into a floured-dusted bowl and cover with a plate, then leave aside.
  5. If making the garlic butter: peel the garlic cloves and crush them with a garlic crusher.
  6. Pick the herb leaves onto a chopping board and finely chop them, discarding the stalks.
  7. Melt the butter in a small pan over a medium heat, then stir through the garlic and chopped herbs, then set aside.
  8. Dust a clean work surface and rolling pin with flour, then divide the dough in half, then divide each half into 6 equal-sized pieces (roughly the size of a golf ball).
  9. With your hands, pat and flatten the dough, then use a rolling pin to roll each piece into 12cm rounds, roughly 2mm to 3mm thick.
  10. Use a knife to cut 6 lines into the centre of each round, leaving about 3cm at each end.
  11. Place the griddle pan on a high heat, then once hot, cook each one for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until bar-marked and puffed up, turning with tongs.
  12. Brush the flatbreads all over with herby garlic butter as they come off the griddle, then pile onto a serving board so everyone can dig in and help themselves.

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/gas 5.
  2. Peel the potatoes, cutting any larger ones so they’re all an even-size – twice the size of a squash ball is about right.
  3. Wash the potatoes in cold water to get rid of any extra starch then tip into a large pot, cover with cold salted water and parboil for 7 minutes, then drain in a colander and leave to steam dry for 3 minutes.
  4. Give the colander a bit of a shake to help chuff up the potatoes – this will help to make them super-crisp later on.
  5. At this point, you need to decide which flavour combo to go with. Tip the potatoes into a large tray in one layer, and add the fat – olive oil, butter or goose fat – then season really well with sea salt and black pepper.
  6. Toss the potatoes in the fat (you could get the potatoes up to this stage the day before, simply cover them with clingfilm or tin foil and pop in the fridge or in a cool place until needed), then roast for 30 minutes, or until lightly golden and three quarters cooked.
  7. Now’s the time for my trick. Gently squash each potato with a potato masher to increase the surface area – the more of your potato that’s in contact with the pan, the crispier it will be.
  8. Add 1 good lug of oil to a small bowl and pick and/or tear in the herbs. If opting for flavour combo 2, peel in a good few strips of clementine zest with a speed-peeler – you won’t eat these but they’ll add amazing flavour. Break up the garlic bulb, adding the unpeeled cloves to the bowl, along with a splash of red wine vinegar, then scrunch and mix it up a bit.
  9. Add your chosen flavour combo to the potatoes and give the pan a good shake, then pop back in the hot oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until gnarly, crispy, bubbly and delicious.
  10. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain off some of the excess fat, then tuck in!