Potato rosti cakes

When you’re having a dinner party, it’s best to get as much ready in advance as possible. Because the potatoes have been par-boiled and the apple soaked in lemon juice, you can get away with making these rosti cakes a few hours in advance – prepare them to the end of point 5, then cover with foil or clingfilm and refrigerate, but only for 5 – 6 hours – don’t risk any longer or the potatoes and apples may start to discolour!

Ingredients

• 2 Desiree potatoes (approx 12 oz/350g) – these are fairly waxy and hold their shape well when cooking, making them idea for a rosti
• 2 eating apples – if you can get Delbard Estivale, these work well, but if not, any sharp eating apple will do, such as Granny Smith
• Juice of one large lemon
• Tsp dried sage or a few fresh sage leaves torn into small pieces
• 1 tbsp plain flour, on a plate
• 3 oz (75g) melted butter
• Cold-pressed British rapeseed oil (enough to coat your roasting tray)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 7, 425F (220C).
2. Scrub the potatoes and place them whole in a saucepan, then add boiling water to cover them, plus a pinch of salt, and boil for 10 minutes. Don’t overcook or you will find them very difficult to peel – they should still be firm. Drain and put aside to cool.
3. Put the lemon juice into a shallow dish, then peel, core and quarter the apples before coarsely grating them over the bowl. Use a spoon to mix it well into the lemon juice, which sharpens up the flavour but, most importantly, stops the apple from turning brown before you have chance to cook it. This would do no harm but can look a little off-putting.
4. Peel the potatoes and grate them over a large plate or bowl. Going back to your apples, use your hand to squeeze out as much lemon juice as possible (rosti mixture works best when kept fairly dry, as this helps the cakes hold their shape) then add shredded apple to the same bowl as the potatoes. Add your seasoning and sage and mix everything together.
5. Shape the mixture into 8 flattish rounds and coat each one lightly with flour, then pop onto another plate ready for cooking.
6. To cook, coat a shallow roasting tin or tray with the rapeseed oil and then put the rostis into the tin. Cook them on a high shelf for 12 minutes on each side. Check they are nicely browned and crisp at the edges, but that the potato is cooked through (insert a knife to check the middle). When you are satisfied they are ready, either dish up onto a warm plate to serve as a side dish or assemble with the main course – for example, with Roast Pheasant they look lovely when arranged on the serving platter, around the bird.