Young potatoes of any sort roast sweetly, especially if scrubbed hard so their skin almost disappears and they are allowed to develop a sticky, golden coating in the oven. They need a few minutes in boiling water before they hit the oven if they are not to toughen as they roast. I match them with robust ingredients—slices of fat-flecked salami or perhaps a spoonful of softly fibrous pork rillettes—as a Saturday lunch.

　　

Ingredients

enough for 4

　　new potatoes – 16 to 24, depending on their size

　　extra-virgin olive oil

　　a bushy sprig of rosemary

　　salami – 24 slices

　　black olives – 16

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Rub the loose skin from the potatoes, then boil them in salted water until tender. Drain and put them into a baking dish or roasting pan. Using the back of a spoon, press down on each potato, crushing it slightly—you just need to break the skin and flesh a little in order to allow the oil to penetrate and the potato to crisp.

　　

Step 2

Pour a good glug of olive oil onto each smashed potato, then chop the rosemary spikes finely and crumble them over the potatoes. Season and roast for thirty-five to forty minutes, until the potatoes are golden and crisp around the edges.

　　

Step 3

Divide the salami among four plates, then add the olives, the roast potatoes, and a drizzle of olive oil.

　　Tender