IN SEASON


Peter Adams from RHS Garden Rosemoor in Devon, gives us an insight into how they grow these little gems in their gorgeous gardens.


Liſting new potatoes is one of the many pleasures of growing your own food, the rich earthy fragrance as you raise them from the ground, followed by their wonderful unrivalled flavour in the kitchen, fresh from where they were grown.


Te gardener oſten refers to new potatoes as ‘first earlies’, they are the first potatoes to be planted around late March and they will be the first potatoes to be liſted later in the season. Potatoes are one of the easiest vegetables to grow and at harvest, the feeling of sinking the garden fork into the soil and bringing those fresh home-grown potatoes to the surface is one of the most rewarding.


PREPARING THE GROUND Growing is easy, although a little preparation a couple of months in advance is needed, it's best to buy seed potatoes from a garden centre where they will be certified as disease-free, rather than choosing to grow what is sprouting at the back of the kitchen cupboard, bought from the supermarket a few weeks ago and forgotten about.


You can lay them out in trays, although old egg boxes are even better, somewhere light and cool but frost-free to begin a process of ‘chitting’. Tis is where you promote short yet strong stumpy shoots to grow to give them a head start when they’re planted out into the garden. Your potatoes will appreciate a fertile, rich soil, so adding organic matter such as manure or garden compost to the plot in advance is beneficial.


PLANTING UP In late March, mark out your plot and lay you potatoes out in rows, allowing 12 inches between each potato and around 30 inches between the rows, planting your potatoes about 6 inches deep. Soon you will see strong shoots beginning to emerge, and it’s important to protect them from the frost by earthing up – a process by which you draw soil up to cover the emerging shoots. Continue this process of earthing up for as long as there is a risk of frost and you still have enough soil between the rows to draw up. Don’t worry about continually covering the leaves, the potatoes will have enough energy stored to keep growing.


By the time we are into May it's usually safe to allow the potatoes to grow away happily, keeping them well watered in drier conditions, of course if you don’t have a lot of room, potatoes can be grown in pots and containers, following a similar process.


TIME TO HARVEST Now for the fun bit, the harvesting, there are many thoughts on when you should harvest your potatoes, but for first earlies it is generally late June into July, usually about 100 days from planting, when the first flowers begin to open. Pull back a little soil to expose a few potatoes, if they are around the size of a hen’s egg, they are good to go. Carefully push a garden fork down the side of the rows and ease it up under the crop to encourage the potatoes to the surface. Carefully pick them up and place them in an awaiting container to take straight to the kitchen to be enjoyed.


Te skins of new potatoes are soſt, especially when brought straight from the garden, so a good wash in clean water is all that is needed before cooking, no need to peel them.


FOODLOVERMAGAZINE.COM | 11 New Potatoes


WARM POTATO, RADISH & BEAN SALAD WITH EGGS, OLIVES & SAFFRON MAYO DRESSING


SERVES 2


2 tbsp capers 1 pinch saffron 500g new potatoes 2 eggs 1 bay leaf 100g radishes, quartered 125g French beans, halved 1 tbsp cider vinegar Small bunch of chervil Small bunch of parsley 1 tsp Dijon mustard 50ml mayonnaise 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 60g olives, halved


1 Place the capers in a mug of cold water to soak. Mix the saffron with 1 tbsp of hot water in a small bowl and leave it to steep.


2 Give the potatoes a scrub. Cut small ones in half and larger ones into quarters. Fill a large pan with cold salted water. Add the potatoes, eggs and bay leaf. Bring to the boil. After exactly 6 minutes from the moment of boiling, remove the eggs. Pop in a bowl and cool quickly in cold running water.


3 Once you have removed the eggs, keep the potatoes cooking until they are tender to a knife tip, then drain them and leave to one side to steam dry and cool a little.


4 Put a frying pan on to heat. Add the cider vinegar and 3 tbsp water. Add the radishes and beans with a good pinch of salt. Cook on a high heat, stirring often, for 4-5 minutes, until the liquid has reduced to nothing. They should be partly cooked but still have a slight bite to them. Remove from the heat and keep to one side.


5 Drain the capers and coarsely chop them with the chervil and parsley leaves. Peel the eggs when cooled.


6 To make the dressing, mix the mustard, mayonnaise and half the garlic with the saffron water. Mix well and season. Add more garlic to taste.


7 Mix the warm potatoes with the radishes, any reserved good radish tops, beans, olives, herbs and capers. Divide between 2 plates and top each with a cut egg. Artfully spoon over the dressing.


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