Heritage potato salad

12:03pm Friday 1st August 2008

THIS weeks recipe is a summer starter or light lunch and uses truffle oil and anchovies to provide the main flavours but is a very simple dish. All that needs cooking are the potatoes.

Its worth mentioning a few things about the flavour ingredients.

First, dont be tempted to use the little salted anchovies so often found on cheap pizzas which can be overpowering.

Ive often found that people who dont like them, do like those stored in olive oil which have undergone a slightly different curing process and can be used as seasoning ingredients in so many different ways.

Truffle oil is not, in fact, oil extracted from truffles but olive oil with the flavour of truffles C not always derived from truffles themselves. It is worth buying the best quality you can but in a small bottle that you keep in the fridge.

Nothing beats the smell of fresh truffles but the price is prohibitive.

Truffle oil provides an accessible truffle experience and can lift a bowl of pasta or risotto to a whole new level. And, as in this case, it also works in salads.

Serves two 300g new potatoes C boiled in their skins and allowed to cool 12 anchovy fillets Two or three handfuls of wild rocket A few shavings of fresh parmesan cheese Sea salt Freshly-ground black pepper Truffle oil Method Cut the potatoes to bite-size.

Combine the potatoes, anchovies and rocket together in a large bowl.

Add a few drops of truffle oil, some black pepper and a little salt but remember the anchovies are salty and youre going to be adding the parmesan which contains salt.

Pile the salad onto serving plates. Sprinkle with the parmesan shavings and a little more truffle oil.

ñ Oldfields Restaurants cookbook, Passion for Real Food, is out now and available in good bookshops. For discounted copies, contact us at the restaurant in Claypath, Durham, on 0191-370-9595 or go to www.

oldfieldsrestaurants.com.

Eating Out