Celeriac, potato and anchovy gratin

I love the idea of cooking everything in one dish (quick, easy, no washing up!) so Sue Quinn's book Roasting Tray Magic is right up my street.

I picked out this recipe which is like a cross between a gratin dauphinoise and the Swedish dish Jansson's Temptation with celeriac replacing half the potato. It's not vegetarian given the anchovies but you could obviously leave those out.

There is also you will notice a fair amount of cream! I think I'd be inclined to reduce the double cream to 300ml - the size of a mid-sized carton - which should be enough for the amount of celeriac and potato involved. (In fact I used slightly more of both I made it last night and it was fine) Sue is also right in saying a mandolin makes the task of cutting them a LOT easier!

Oh and the cheesy, crispy topping is absolutely irresistible!

Celeriac, potato and anchovy gratin

Serves: 4 | Takes: about 1 hour, plus 5 minutes cooling

Knobbly old celeriac is a sadly undervalued root vegetable. It might not be photogenic, but it’s absolutely delicious, with a sweet, nutty flavour reminiscent of the celery family of which it is a member. The anchovies add a gorgeous depth of flavour – no fishiness at all.

400ml milk, plus extra if needed

400ml double cream (see note above)

2 garlic cloves, crushed

3 anchovy fillets, very finely chopped

2–3 thyme sprigs

freshly ground black pepper

300g celeriac

300g waxy potatoes

100g grated Comté cheese

green salad, to serve (optional)

For the topping:

100g sourdough or country-style bread, torn into small pieces

2 tbsp olive oil

30g grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F. Combine the milk, cream, garlic, anchovies and thyme in a 30 x 20 x 5-cm roasting tray and season with pepper.

Peel and very finely slice the celeriac and potatoes, ideally on a mandolin, adding the vegetables to the creamy tray liquid as you go to prevent them browning. Bake for 20 minutes, shaking the tray halfway through. Add a little more milk if necessary so the vegetables are just submerged. Meanwhile, mix all the topping ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.

When the vegetables have had their 20 minutes, sprinkle over the Comté, then the topping mix. Bake for a further 30 minutes – the vegetables should be beautifully tender when the time is up. Leave to cool in the tray for 5 minutes before serving – a green salad is the perfect accompaniment.

What to drink: We drank a bottle of Chablis which is what we happened to have open but other white burgundy and, in particular, Jura chardonnay would work well too.

From Roasting Tray Magic by Sue Quinn (Quadrille, £14.99) Photography © Faith Mason

Celebration Spring Salad

Even though it hasn't felt like it so far it's definitely spring and here's a recipe from Jenny Chandler's lovely new book A Good Appetite to celebrate.

Jenny writes: "In late spring the greengrocers' shelves are loaded with local goodies: bunches of radishes and asparagus, paper sacks of new potatoes and even the early pods of peas and broad beans. It’s time to celebrate the first produce of the year. Serving this salad while the potatoes are still warm intensifies the flavours."

Serves 4 as a main course salad

600g (1lb 5oz) new potatoes, halved if larger than bite-sized

1 sprig of mint

100ml (31/2 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil

300g (101/2 oz) asparagus spears

200g (7oz) baby broad beans

75g (2 3/4 oz) pea shoots, washed

12 radishes, quartered (soaking the radishes in ice- cold water for 20 minutes before chopping will give crisp results)

Salt

Dressing

Juice of 1 lemon

3 tbsp crème fraîche or soured cream (oat-based crème fraîche is a dairy- free option)

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 small bunch of chives, finely chopped with scissors

Pinch of salt and plenty of pepper

Optional

A few crispy bacon lardons, or some cooked chicken, or flakes of cooked salmon (150g/5oz portion of fillet), or halved soft-boiled eggs, or a handful of roasted almonds

Boil the potatoes and mint in a large saucepan of salted water for 15 minutes, or until tender, then drain and return to the pan, discarding the mint sprig. Toss with half of the olive oil, then cover with the lid and set aside to keep warm.

Meanwhile, prepare the asparagus. Remove any woody tips (save those for stock), chop off about 5cm (2 inches) of the stalk ready for steaming or boiling, and sliver the top of the spears into ribbons using a potato peeler. Set aside.

If you have a steamer pan, steam the asparagus stalks over the potatoes for 5 minutes, or until tender; otherwise, cook them in a saucepan of boiling water for about 3 minutes. Drain and plunge into a large bowl of cold water to refresh and keep their colour.

Steam or blanch the broad beans for 3-5 minutes until just tender then drain and pop them from their skins.

Mix all the dressing ingredients together in a bowl along with the remaining olive oil. Pour the dressing into a large salad bowl, add most of the pea shoots, the radishes, cooked asparagus, asparagus ribbons, broad beans and warm potatoes (keeping a few of each ingredient back to garnish the bowl), then turn everything together, taking care not to break up the potatoes. Sprinkle over the reserved vegetables and any of the optional toppings and serve while warm.

What to drink: I'd go for a fresh crisp fruity white with this. Sauvignon blanc is the obvious option for spring but an English Bacchus or Bacchus-based white would be good too as would a dry riesling or even a rosé

Extracted from A Good Appetite by Jenny Chandler, published by the National Trust at £20. Photography by Kirstie Young.

Spring vegetable tart with mustard cream and watercress

If you're looking for an impressive vegetarian centrepiece to a spring meal this lovely light recipe from Signe Johansen's and Peter's Yard's book Smörgåsbord, is perfect though if you serve it on its own I think it would probably only feed 4-6! (Only 4 in my family!)

Signe writes: "Wonderful as a vegetarian centrepiece for a springtime smörgåsbord, or as an accompaniment to fish and meat dishes, this puff pastry tart using seasonal baby veg tastes as delicious as it looks.

serves 6-8

1 x 320g (11oz) pack ready-rolled puff pastry

4 eggs, 3 whole and 1 yolk

100g (3½oz) asparagus tips, cut into 2cm (¾ inch) batons

6 baby courgettes, halved lengthways

3 baby aubergines, quartered lengthways

3 baby leeks, sliced into rounds about 2cm (¾ inch) thick

2 tbsp olive oil

100g (3½oz) crème fraîche

150g (5½oz) soft goat’s cheese, crumbled

1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

small bunch of dill, finely chopped

2 tarragon sprigs, leaves stripped and finely chopped

2 large handfuls of watercress, to serve

for the dressing:

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp wholegrain mustard

1 tsp white wine vinegar

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan (400°F), Gas Mark 6.

Unroll the pastry onto a large baking tray lined with baking parchment and lightly score a 1cm (½ inch) border all the way around. Beat the egg yolk and brush it over the border to glaze. Toss the prepared vegetables with the oil and spread out on a second tray. Place both in the oven, with the vegetables on the top shelf, for 20 minutes, until the pastry has puffed up and the veg is just tender. Press down the centre of the pastry with the back of a spoon.

In a bowl, mix the 3 eggs with the crème fraîche, goat’s cheese, mustard, the herbs and some salt and pepper. Spread over the tart base, avoiding the border. Arrange the veg on top then return to the oven for about 20 minutes until the filing has set.

Make a dressing by whisking together the oil, mustard, vinegar and a little salt and pepper. Remove the tart from the oven and cool a little before scattering over the watercress and drizzling with the dressing.

What to drink: I always associate mustart with Chablis so would probably go for that but any crisp dry unoaked white like a Gavi or even a good pinot grigio would be delicious

Smörgåsbord: Deliciously simple modern Scandinavian recipes by Peter's Yard with Signe Johansen is published by Kyle Books, £18.99, www.octopusbooks.co.uk Photography: Ali Allen

Breadcrumbed Tomatoes Baked in Cream with Fried Chicken

There are so many recipes I want to make from Claire Thomson's brilliant new book Tomato but this decadent dish of breadcrumbed tomatoes baked in cream with fried chicken, as if you could make it any better, heads the list.

Claire writes "If you are going to go to the trouble of flouring, egging and breadcrumbing an ingredient – or pane, to use the French term – I feel that you might as well get your hands really dirty and process a whole lot.

In this case that means the tomatoes and the chicken, then going one step further and drenching the tomatoes in cream and mustard and baking them as a gratin until bubbling and blistering to serve alongside the fried chicken. A green salad, dressed simply, or some boiled green beans, might be a good serving suggestion.

SERVES 4

2 large, skinless chicken breasts, cut horizontally to about 2cm (3/4in) thick, or 4 boneless and skinless thighs

100ml (3½fl oz) double (heavy) cream

1 small garlic clove, finely chopped

3 thyme or rosemary sprigs, leaves picked and finely chopped

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

5 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour

300g (10½oz) panko breadcrumbs (or any other dried breadcrumbs)

3 eggs

500g (1lb 2oz) tomatoes, thickly sliced

6 tablespoons olive oil

30g (1oz) Parmesan, grated (shredded)

30g (1oz) butter

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve

1. Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, flatten the chicken breasts out between 2 sheets of baking paper until they are an even 5mm (1/4in) thick. Put to one side.

2. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas 6.

3. In a bowl or jug mix, together the cream, garlic, herbs and mustard and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Put to one side.

4. Tip the flour into a wide, shallow bowl and the breadcrumbs into another. In a third bowl, beat the eggs with 2 tablespoons of water.

5. Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper, then dredge them in the flour, tapping off any excess. Dip them into the egg and then coat them in the breadcrumbs and put to one side.

6. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, then dredge them in the flour, tapping off any excess. Dip the floured chicken pieces in the egg and then coat them with the breadcrumbs. Transfer the pieces to a plate and refrigerate until you’re ready to cook.

7. Heat half the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Working in batches, fry the tomatoes for 1–2 minutes on each side, until golden all over. Slide the fried tomatoes out into a baking dish and pour over the cream mixture. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and bake the tomatoes for about 10–15 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Remove from the oven and keep warm.

8. While the tomato gratin is baking, heat the remaining oil and half the butter in a large frying pan over a high heat. When the mixture begins to bubble and foam, add the coated chicken pieces and cook them over a high–moderate heat for about 3 minutes on each side, until crisp and golden and cooked through. Take care not to let the butter burn. If it starts to look like it might, add more to the pan, which should help prevent it turning completely. Remove the pan from the heat and drain thechicken pieces on kitchen paper.

9. Serve the chicken pieces whole, or cut in half or into thick strips, with the tomato gratin alongside and lemon wedges for squeezing over.

What to drink: I always llke a sparkling wine with fried chicken so I'd be tempted by a crémant or an English sparkling wine, maybe. But with those creamy tomatoes a lightly oaked chardonnay such as a Chablis would be good too. Or a Gavi di Gavi

Extracted from TOMATO by Claire Thomson (Quadrille, £22) Photography: Sam Folan. For a couple of Claire's other recipes see Rosemary and Chilli Panisse, and Quinoa fritters with green goddess sauce.