Friday night dinner: Potato hash with figs, cambozola and garlic toast - Telegraph.co.uk

Posted: 22 Nov 2019 12:00 AM PST

Last Sunday I renounced the devil. With good reason, I should say. I was becoming a godmother to my oldest friend's baby boy. As a pretty committed heathen I felt a bit fraudulent pledging to guide him in The Faith, but I've decided godmothers come in all shapes and sizes, and my spiritual guidance will mainly centre around two things: food and chat. It's no coincidence that these are also the only two things I really know how to do, but we'll breeze past that.

Luckily, the two tend to go hand in hand. To me, every meal is an opportunity to set the world to rights, and all the biggest conversations in life go smoother with something good to eat. Bad news is tempered by a steaming pan of shepherd's pie. A worry often dissipates halfway through a bowl of ice cream. And I'm not sure there are many things spaghetti carbonara can't fix.

So while I can't promise religious counsel, I've pledged to always be on hand for cake and a chinwag. Who says lemon drizzle can't be spiritual?

Cake, incidentally, is the reason for today's recipe. For the christening, my sister and I made a three-tiered orange and fig sponge and the leftover figs have made it into this sweet and savoury one-pan Friday night dinner. Use whatever cheese you like, just make sure it's something fairly soft and good for melting. Put the pan and pile of toast in the centre of the table and let everyone dive in.

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cooking time: 45 minutes

SERVES

INGREDIENTS

1 whole garlic bulb
5 figs
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
2 tsp thick balsamic vinegar
3 thyme sprigs
Olive oil, for frying
1.25kg potatoes (something good for frying), cut into chunks
100g chorizo, finely chopped
100g cambozola (or another soft cheese), sliced thickly
4 thick slices of good bread
Sour cream, to serve

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200/gas 6.
Wrap the garlic bulb in foil and place in the oven. Roast for 45 minutes, or until you can feel the garlic has softened.
Meanwhile, cut the figs in half and place in a cast iron pan (the one you'll use to fry the potatoes). Drizzle with both vinegars and tuck in the thyme. Roast for 30 minutes.
Put the potatoes in a pan of well salted water, bring to the boil and cook until tender - about 15 minutes. Drain and leave to steam in the colander for a few minutes so the moisture evaporates.
Remove the figs from the pan. Add the chorizo and fry over a medium heat until it releases its oil and starts to brown. Scoop it up and set aside. Wipe the pan out and add plenty of olive oil. Fry the potatoes until they are golden all over, turning occasionally.
Turn the heat down, put the chorizo and figs back in the pan and lay the cheese over the top. Let it melt a little.
Meanwhile toast the bread, push the garlic cloves out of their skins and spread each slice thickly. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle over a little oil from the pan. Serve with dollops of sour cream.

Tonight's dinner is published every week day on telegraph.co.uk at 6am. For more recipe ideas click here.

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