From French-style scallops to a gather-round steak dinner with flavours from the Deep South, ever-popular TV chef James Martin has been inspired by his travels in creating these potato-powered recipes. They’re all from his new book (see p94), and each one has festivity-friendly wow-factor – even the cheesy mash
PHOTOGRAPHS JOHN CAREY STYLING FAYE WEARS
Loaded potato skins with tomahawk steak
Serves 4 Hands-on time 45 min Oven time 1 hour 35 min
“I once went filming around America and this dish sums up a lot of what I ate – it’s amazing meat with great filled potato skins and I love the addition of chipotle butter.”
JAMES’ TIP The butter works with chicken, pork or just the skins on their own.
KNOW-HOW Tomahawk steak is a ribeye steak with about 12cm of rib bone, making it look a bit like the axe from which it takes its name. The bone also helps the cut (which usually weighs around 1kg) hold its shape as it cooks. Find tomahawks from larger butchers, online or at Waitrose.
• 4 large baking potatoes
• 1 British tomahawk steak
• 100g diced pancetta
• Knob unsalted butter
• Bunch spring onions, sliced
• 198g tin sweetcorn, drained
• 200g mature cheddar, grated
• 1 beef stock cube
For the barbecue sauce
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped
• 200g brown sugar
• 100ml tomato ketchup
• 50ml dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp chipotle paste (available
in supermarkets)
• Small bunch parsley, chopped
For the chipotle butter
• 100g unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp chipotle paste
1 Heat the oven to 160°C fan/gas 4. Prick the potatoes all over with a fork, put them on a baking tray and bake for 1½ hours. Take the steak out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature.
2 Meanwhile, gently heat all the ingredients for the sauce in a pan until bubbling, then remove from the heat. Combine the ingredients for the chipotle butter, then set aside.
3 Once the potatoes are cooked, remove them from the oven (leaving the oven on) and cut them in half lengthways. Scoop out the insides into a bowl and pop the skins back onto the baking tray. Fry the pancetta in a small frying pan for 5 minutes until crisp, then tip it into the bowl containing the potato flesh along with the knob of butter, spring onions and sweetcorn. Mix well, season to taste, then pack the mixture back into the potato skins. Top with the cheddar.
4 Heat a large griddle pan (or barbecue) and wait for it to become smoking hot (or the coals to turn white). Season the steak with plenty of salt and pepper on both sides, then cook for 10 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove and leave the stea
