Potato, chard and anchovy

a recipe, and eating notes

Hello! My name is Rebecca May Johnson, I am a writer and cook and this is my Substack. This week’s newsletter is a recipe for chard, anchovy and potato gratin, and eating notes.

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Potato, chard and anchovy gratin

This was not a pre-planned dinner but came to me when I had completed my part in the bedtime rituals for our baby and arrived in the kitchen, hungry. It is inspired by many things I have loved: the thick cut dauphinoise potatoes that come with every order at my aunt and cousin’s restaurant in Norfolk; the Janssen’s Temptation I once had at a restaurant in Hackney for a friend’s birthday in c. 2013; an anchovy, cream and olive sauce for quail made by the cook Alex Jackson at his former restaurant Sardine that I ate in 2016.

I only had half a pot of cream in the fridge, so used that then rinsed out the container with water for the rest. If I’d have had more cream, I would have used more cream! But it was very flavourful this way, just less rich. I put the oven on to pre-heat to 180C fan while I peeled the potatoes and assembled the dish. This served 2 for dinner with no sides.

Ingredients

5 medium size potatoes, peeled and cut into 2mm thick slices
3-4 largeish leaves of chard, stems chopped into 1cm pieces
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled then finely chopped
8 anchovies, roughly chopped
75g unsalted butter, for greasing the dish and putting between the layers of potato
100ml double cream
200ml water
100g breadcrumbs mixed with 50g finely grated parmesan and seasoned with salt and pepper

How to make

Rub butter generously all around the insides of a glass or ceramic baking dish that is c. 9 inch X 9 inch, or equivalent size.

Then put a single layer of potatoes covering the bottom of the buttered dish. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with a roughly teaspoon of the chopped garlic and a teaspoon or so of chopped anchovy. Then put 4-5 marble-sized pieces of butter over the potato.

Then, tear a large leaf of chard into a few pieces that are roughly 3-4 inches x 3-4 inches and make a layer or two of chard over the top, covering all the potato. Sprinkle some of the roughly chopped chard stem on too.

Repeat – so another layer of potatoes, with salt and pepper, garlic and anchovy, and butter. Then a layer (or two) of chard leaves and chopped stems. Continue until the potato is used up. The top layer of potato should not have the garlic and anchovy on, just butter and salt and pepper. Then pour the cream and water over the top.

Cover the dish tightly with foil and put in the oven to cook for 40 or so minutes. I then put a weight on top of the foil to press down the layers – I used a sandwich/steak weight which is a recent acquisition, but you could also use e.g. a small metal pan or another baking dish. Improvise with something that won’t crack in the oven.

After 40 or so minutes, when the potato is cooked - remove the foil and stick a knife in to see, it should come in and out easily – cover the top generously with breadcrumbs and bake, without the foil for a further 10-15 minutes to brown the breadcrumbs. If the breadcrumbs need help browning at the end, turn on the grill for a minute or two – I did this, impatient to eat!

Then – eat!

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Eating Notes

Mackerel pate made with fish from the Cley smokehouse - mixed with greek yogurt, black pepper and mustard - on toast, with butter, sliced shallot and tomato.

Breakfast of warmed greek yogurt with garlic on buttered toast (made with yogurt in a bowl with salt and chopped garlic over simmering water, stirring to stop it splitting), topped with fried tomato and chorizo and parsley.

Pasta made with lardons fried in oil to render the fat until crisp, then onion and peperoncino added on a lower heat, then vermouth added, then tomatoes and simmered. Tossed with pasta cooking water and pasta, then topped with parmesan.

A wonderful meal made by sam of pork chop with tarragon sauce and potatoes cooked in layers with layers of thick cut tomato - a new favourite thing! And sprouting broccoli on the side.

A sublimely cooked piece of halibut with a saffron sauce and a little ratatouille. True heaven at The Moorings restaurant in Blakeney, Norfolk which my cousin Charlotte took over after my uncle Richard died. Charlotte is cooking and running it with my aunt Angela, who makes incredible desserts (among other things) and chef Luke.