Potatoes are one of the most versatile ingredients there are. But not all potatoes are right for all dishes. When I first started looking into which spud was best for mashing and chip-making, I discovered that the key was the amount of “dry matter” the potato contained — what would be left if you removed the skin and the water content. Less than 18% dry matter, and the potatoes won’t give you a decent chip. This may sound a bit technical, but all you really need to know is that, when potatoes are harvested, those grown in the wetter part of the field contain more water. These spuds bruise more easily and don’t last as long, so they tend to be sold off first. Basically, you need to wait a month or so from the time a potato crop hits the shops for the “drier” potatoes to come in. If you want to get the best out of these recipes, those are the ones you should look for. Let me know how you get on: heston@sunday-times.co.uk.

THE ULTIMATE CHIP

This recipe may seem a little long-winded, but it does produce the best chips I have ever tasted. With the right type of potato — try charlotte or belle de fontenay varieties — they will be crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside.

The beauty of this method is that the potatoes can be cooked twice, then kept in the fridge for at least a week, before the final cooking. Or you can wait a day or two in between each of the cooking stages if you do not have the time to do it all at once.

As to which cooking fat to use, groundnut oil is probably the best, as it is very pure and odour-free. You could try rendered beef fat, and goose or duck fat would be delicious too. If you don’t want to use rendered fat, the litre of groundnut oil will be sufficient for both the first and second frying processes.

Serves 4

1.2kg potatoes, washed and peeled
1 litre groundnut (peanut) oil
1 litre rendered fat (optional)

Using a sharp kitchen knife, square off the potatoes into rectangles, then cut them into chips about 1cm thick. The length of the pieces is not so important, but you do want to keep them the same thickness, so that they cook at the same rate. Place them straight into a bowl under cold running water and keep them there for about 10 minutes to rinse off some of the starch.

Next, bring a large pan of unsalted water to the boil and plunge in the drained potatoes. Bring it back up to the boil and simmer gently for about 10 minutes, or until the point of a knife easily penetrates the chips. Make sure the water is only just simmering — if it boils too aggressively, the potatoes will begin to break up before they are cooked sufficiently.

Using a slotted spoon, lift the potatoes carefully out of the water and place them on a tray. Allow them to cool, then place in the fridge until cold. You will notice that the chips harden when chilled.

For the next stage, heat the groundnut oil in a deep-fat fryer to 130C/250F and plunge in the chips. After about 5 minutes, the chips will take on a drier appearance before colouring (do not let them brown). They have now finished their second cooking. Drain, let them cool to room temperature, then put in the fridge.

When cold, they are ready for their final cooking. If you are using rendered fat for this, heat it to 180C/350F. Alternatively, use the groundnut oil, heated to the same temperature. Plunge in the chips and cook until golden brown. This may take 8-10 minutes — you need to be patient in order to obtain a really crisp chip. Drain and season with salt only; they will take quite a lot of salt.


POMMES PUREES (GREAT MASH)

I prefer using waxy potatoes for mash, as they tend to produce a more creamy result, although, if you are not careful, the purée may be a little starchy. As a general rule, most of the red varieties make a decent purée; large belle de fontenay or charlotte potatoes will also give a good result.

The important thing here is the first cooking of the potatoes. This involves precooking them at a temperature where the starch begins to gelatinise, cooling them down, then cooking them in hotter water, which allows the cells to separate from one another. This means you can mash the potatoes without any free starch leaking out of them, giving you a glue-free purée. You will need a thermometer for this recipe.

Serves 4

1kg potatoes, peeled
220g cold butter (use up to 350g, according to taste)

Cut the potatoes into slices, about 2.5cm thick. Make sure these are exactly the same thickness, as a difference of only a few millimetres could mean you end up with a mix of cooked and uncooked potatoes. Run these slices under the cold tap to wash off any surface starch.

Put sufficient water to completely cover the potatoes into a pan and heat it to 80C/175F. Add the potatoes and keep the temperature at 70C/160F for 30 minutes. The slices will become opaque and tough. Drain them and rinse them under cold running water until they have completely cooled down.

Rinse the pan and refill it to the same level with water. Add salt and bring to the boil. Drop in the potatoes and cook them in simmering water for 10-15 minutes until soft. Be aware that, with this method, they will probably take longer than you expect, so be patient. When ready, drain the potatoes. Dry them by placing in a pan over a low heat and gently shaking the pan.

For the next stage, you ideally need a ricer, although a vegetable mill should do the job. Cut the butter into 2.5cm cubes and place in a bowl. With the potatoes still hot, push them through the ricer onto the cubed butter. You should not push the potatoes through a sieve, as this will produce a gluey mash. For the same reason, never use a food processor — unless you want to be eating savoury bubble gum. Mix well.

Once again, you can prepare the purée in advance up to this stage. It will keep in the fridge for a few days. To serve, just reheat it gently in a pan while gradually whisking in 150ml simmering milk (this takes about 3 minutes). You can add more, depending on how firm you want the mixture to be.

CRUSHED POTATOES

Potatoes carry other flavours brilliantly, so try adding chopped shallots, confit tomatoes, chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley, chives, chervil, basil or coriander), olives, capers or bacon to this. The possibilities are almost endless.

Serves 4

1kg potatoes
200g butter (up to 350g, to taste)
4 tbsp olive oil (optional)

Follow the recipe for pommes purées to the stage where the potatoes are soft and cooked. Then, using the back of a fork, crush the potatoes while adding as much of the butter as you wish and/or the olive oil, along with your choice of other ingredients. You want to end up with a rough mash that still has small morsels of potato in it, to vary the texture.

If you are not eating this immediately, refrigerate without adding the extras.

You can then just reheat the potatoes in a medium oven (170C/325F/Gas Mark 3) for 15-20 minutes before adding your choice of additional flavourings.

A GUIDE TO GOOD POTATOES

- Cara
Use for roasting, in salads, for pommes dauphinoise and other layered potato dishes.

- Charlotte
Try in salads and layered potato dishes.

- Desiree
Perfect all-rounders. Use for roasting, boiling, mashing, chipping, sautéeing or baking.

- Jersey royal new potatoes
Good simply served boiled or in salads.

- King Edward
All-rounders, though they do not boil well. Try baking, mashing, chipping or roasting them.

- Maris piper
All-rounders. Use for baking, mashing, chipping or roasting.

- Pink fir apple
Perfect for salads or boiling, roasting or chipping