Tom came up with this great-value menu several years ago for BBC Children in Need. He suggested charging friends to eat in your home to raise some cash. You could do the same this month, to raise money for Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day on 17 March
Cheesy chips ’n’ dips
Everyone loves chips and dips! These proper chunky chips are a bit healthier as they are baked, not fried, but are still decadent served with a sprinkling of cheese and some of my signature sauces. This recipe can be prepared the day before and it’s up to you if you peel the potatoes or not, but please make sure you add the vinegar to the water as this helps the chips hold their shape.
■ Serves 8 ■ Prep 30 mins plus cooling ■ Cook 1 hr 10 mins
1.5kg Maris Piper potatoes (about 4 large potatoes roughly 400g each) 1 tsp vinegar (malt is best) about 200ml sunflower oil 50g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), finely grated small handful of parsley, finely chopped
1 Cut the potatoes into large wedge-sized chips all roughly the same size. Rinse under cold water to wash away the starch. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil with the vinegar, submerge the chips and simmer gently for 6-8 mins or until tender. Lift the chips out of the water or carefully drain without breaking them, and leave to cool on a roasting tray, uncovered, in the fridge for 30 mins. Can be done up to two days ahead.
2 When you’re ready to cook, heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Tip the chips into a bowl, and heat the oil in the roasting tray for 5 mins. Once the oil is hot, carefully add the chips and use a fish slice or tongs to turn them in the hot oil. Bake for 40 mins, then turn them and scatter over the cheese. Continue to cook for another 20-30 mins until golden and crisp.
3 For the dips, put all the ingredients for each dip (see opposite) in separate bowls and stir together, seasoning to taste. All the dips can be made the day before; cover and chill until needed. Remove the chips from the oven, drain on kitchen paper, then sprinkle with a little salt and the parsley. Serve with the dips.
PER SERVING 602 kcals, fat 47g, saturates 7g, carbs 35g, sugars 6g, fibre 3g, protein 7g, salt 0.5g
FOR THE HARISSA YOGURT DIP
200g tub Greek yogurt 1 tbsp harissa (rose harissa is good if you can find it) small handful of parsley, chopped
FOR THE MARIE ROSE DIP
200g mayonnaise 60g ketchup 5 drops Worcestershire sauce 5 drops hot sauce
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 lemon, juiced
FOR THE LEMON & GARLIC DIP
150g mayonnaise 1 lemon, zested 2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
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