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Indulge in a luxurious gratin featuring potatoes, smoked trout, and cavolo nero, all coated in a seasoned cream sauce and crowned with gruyere. This dish is the ultimate hearty potato main course. And for tasty take on roast potatoes, prepare crisp roast potatoes tossed in a herb-infused butter emulsion featuring white wine.

Layered Potato and Fish Bake

Prep 15 min
Cook 2 hr 15 min
Serves 4

600ml heavy cream
3 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 branches thyme
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
A pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper
25g unsalted butter
1 onion, peeled and sliced thin
200g Tuscan kale, de-stemmed, leaves roughly sliced
750g starchy potatoes, peeled and cut into 3mm-thick slices
200g thinly sliced trout
3 sprigs dill, minced
150g shredded cheese

Pour the cream into a saucepan and add the garlic, rosemary, thyme, lemon zest, and a pinch of nutmeg. Season generously with salt and white pepper, then put over a low heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, to infuse and thicken. Take out and discard the garlic and herbs.

Heat the butter in a pan on a medium heat, add the sliced onions and fry for several minutes, until softened. Add the cavolo nero, salt generously and saute until the cabbage cooks down. Take off the heat.

Arrange the thinly sliced potatoes in a single layer in the bottom of a deep rectangular baking dish. Layer with a portion of the onions and cavolo nero, then drizzle some of the cream mixture and season. Layer with portions of smoked trout and a dusting of chopped dill, then top with some cheese. Carry on the process until you reach the top of the baking dish, so that the last layer is potatoes topped with cream and cheese.

Roast at 170C (150C fan)/340F/gas 3½ for an hour and 45 minutes, or until cooked all the way through.

Herb-Infused Roast Potatoes

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

6 potatoes, peeled and halved
1 vegetable stock cube
Seasoning
4 tbsp oil
200ml dry white wine
½ shallot, peeled and minced
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and diced
A pinch of nutmeg
2 cloves
Strips of 1 fresh lemon, cut into strips
50g butter
2 sprigs rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped
2 stalks thyme, leaves removed and minced
3 stalks sage, leaves removed and minced

Put the prepared potatoes in a saucepan of water, mix in the stock cube and flavor with salt. Bring to a boil , then boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes, until they are tender. Strain, then place a cloth over the colander and allow to dry for 10 minutes. At the same time, preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6.

Place the oil into a roasting pan and put it in the oven to get extremely hot. When the potatoes are steamed, gently place them to the hot oil and turn with a tongs, so they're completely coated. Bake for 30 minutes, then toss them and place in the oven for 20 more minutes.

While roasting, put a large pan on a high flame, pour in the white wine, then add the shallots, garlic, nutmeg, cloves, and lemon zest, and cook until the liquid has thickened. Add the butter and herbs, then take out and remove the cloves and lemon zest. By this point, the potatoes are likely cooked.

Toss the potatoes in the butter emulsion, pepper and serve immediately.