James Martin: Yorkshire TV chef's recipe for perfect parmesan roast potatoes

TV chef and restaurateur James Martin – a proud son of Welburn near Malton – has gone back to dairy basics in his latest cookbook, simply entitled Cheese. Here are three of his recipes.

Parmesan roasties

What could be better than a crispy, golden roast potato? Well, the answer is one covered with a dusting of grated Parmesan to provide another layer of flavour and cheesy deliciousness,” says chef James Martin. “These are perfect served as part of a roast dinner.”

serves 8. Ingredients: 2kg King Edward potatoes, peeled; 100g beef dripping; 50ml olive oil; 50g butter; 100g Parmesan, grated; Sea salt

James Martin. Picture credit: Dan Jones/PAJames Martin. Picture credit: Dan Jones/PA
James Martin. Picture credit: Dan Jones/PA

Preheat the oven to 200C (180°C fan)/400°F/gas 6.

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Cut the larger potatoes in half, then pop them all into a pan of boiling salted water. Bring back to the boil and cook for 3–4 minutes. Drain and shake in the colander.

Place a roasting tray in the oven with the beef dripping, oil and butter and when hot and sizzling, tip in the potatoes. Roast for 40–45 minutes.

Remove from the oven, top with the Parmesan and slightly crush the potatoes with the back of a spoon. Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes until crisp and golden.

James Martin’s Parmesan roast potatoes. Picture credit: Dan Jones/PAJames Martin’s Parmesan roast potatoes. Picture credit: Dan Jones/PA
James Martin’s Parmesan roast potatoes. Picture credit: Dan Jones/PA

Lamb with Stilton gnocchi

Adding cheese to gnocchi is a great way to bring another layer of flavour to a dish and, instead of the more usual Parmesan, I’ve gone for a punchier Stilton,” says chef James Martin. “This stands up well to the herb-crusted lamb and it’s all brought together with a buttery, herb sauce.”

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Serves 4. Ingredients: 1 small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped; 25g flaked almonds, chopped; Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon; 2 garlic cloves, chopped; 2 lamb loins (about 600g); Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. For the gnocchi: 500g cooked potato, riced; 125g plain flour, plus extra for dusting; 75g Stilton, crumbled; 2 egg yolks. For the sauce: 25g butter; 1 garlic clove, crushed; 1 small bunch of mint, chopped; 1 small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped; 1tbsp capers. To garnish: 1 small bunch of mint, chopped; 1tbsp small capers

Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan)/425°F/gas 7. Mix the parsley, almonds, lemon and garlic together and spread all over the centre of the lamb loin. Season. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 15–20 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 5–10 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the gnocchi, mix all the ingredients together and season.

Then roll into 20cm long sausages, 2cm thick, using a little extra flour. Cut into 3cm pieces, then plunge into boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Drain.

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To make the sauce, heat a large frying pan until hot, then add the butter and, when foaming, add the garlic, mint, parsley, capers and gnocchi and stir through. Season.

To serve, spoon the gnocchi and sauce onto four plates. Slice the lamb and serve alongside. Garnish with mint and capers.

Best-ever cheeseboard

“A cheeseboard is the ultimate way to finish a meal in style or to showcase your favourite cheeses for a lighter bite,” says chef James Martin. “If you can’t find those listed to serve, you can substitute them with similar cheeses, but try to keep the mixture of soft, hard and blue the same.”

Serves 8. Ingredients: 2 x 250g blocks of halloumi, sliced in half; 1tsp olive oil. For the chutney: 100g caster sugar; 100g dark soft brown sugar; 1 onion, sliced; 100ml white wine vinegar; 100g sultanas; 250g fresh gooseberries. For the vine-leaf baked cheese: 6 fresh vine leaves; 200g Sharpham Savour, cut into chunks; 25ml Sauternes; 100ml double cream; 6 slices of speck. For the rosemary-baked cheese: 2 Tunworth; Freshly ground black pepper; A few sprigs of rosemary. For the fried cheese: 200g Sharpham Elmhirst; 50g plain flour, seasoned; 2 eggs, beaten; 75g panko breadcrumbs. Suggestions to serve: Fresh vine leaves; Montagnolo Affine; Honey and clover Gouda; Doddington Hotspur; Admiral Collingwood figs, halved; Pickled onions; Crackers

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Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan)/400°F/gas 6. To make the chutney, heat a non-stick pan over a medium heat and, when hot, add both sugars. Do not stir but carefully swirl in the pan until the sugars are brown and caramelised. This should take about 3–4 minutes.

Once the sugars have caramelised, add the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

First, to make the vine-leaf baked cheese, line a 20 x 15cm x 7cm deep ovenproof dish with the vine leaves. Pack in the cheese and pour over the wine and cream. Top with the ham and bake on the top shelf of the oven for 15 minutes.

Next, for the rosemary-baked cheese, slice the top off the cheeses and pop them into a 10cm round ovenproof dish, 3cm deep. Crack over black pepper and stud with the rosemary. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 10 minutes.

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Place the halloumi on a griddle pan, drizzle in the oil and cook on both sides for 1–2 minutes.

Finally, for the fried cheese, heat a small pan of vegetable oil to 170°C (340°F). Dip the cheese in the flour, then the beaten egg and the panko breadcrumbs. Fry for about 1 minute until golden and crispy.

To serve, cover a very large board in fresh vine leaves, then position the Montagnolo, Gouda, Hotspur and Admiral Collingwood on the board. Add the two baked cheeses, the fried cheese and halloumi all over the board. Garnish with halved figs, pickled onions, small pots of the chutney and some crackers.

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