potato supper
rating:plenty of variations on this - I do something similar with cream and gruyere and leeks. Or some Toulouse sausage. Or mushrooms.
be adventurous. Experiment!
5 small waxy potatoes per person (e.g. Charlotte or Belle de Fontenay)
a little groundnut or light olive oil
a little butter
2 thin rashers of bacon or pancetta
stock - preferably home made chicken stock
1 sage leaf
set oven to 180C/gas 4. There's no need to peel the potatoes - I rarely do. But do it if you must. Whatever, slice them into the thickness of a pound coin. Warm enough oil to cover the bottom of a frying pan, then fry the sliced potatoes in batches just long enough to colour them lightly on both sides. Lift them out onto kitchen paper.
butter a shallow baking dish or roasting tin. Cut the bacon into pieces about the size of a postage stamp. Layer the potatoes in the buttered dish, scattering the bacon/pancetta, sage, and salt and black pepper as you go. Dot the surface with a few knobs of butter, then pour over enough stock to cover.
bake in the preheated oven for about an hour.
