Poppy Cooks: 'Potato Queen' Poppy O'Toole on how to make spectacular spuds at home

Ingredients: 1kg Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes; 100ml malt vinegar, plus extra to serve; 4tbsp neutral oil; Flaky salt, to serve

Get your potatoes into a saucepan of heavily salted, cold water. Add the vinegar, place the pan over a high heat and bring the liquid to the boil. Reduce the heat and leave on a gentle boil for 5–7 minutes, until the potatoes fall off the tip of a knife.

Drain in a colander. Place the colander over the pan on the turned-off hob, cover with a clean tea towel and leave the potatoes to steam-dry for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas 6 and get the oil into a baking tray. Pop the tray into the oven to get the oil hot. This is important for getting that crispy crunchiness.

Once the potatoes have steam-dried, get the hot tray out of the oven, carefully tip in the potatoes and turn to coat.

Roast the potatoes for 30 minutes, then give them a mix and put them back in the oven for a further 15 minutes, until super-golden and crunchy. Keep an eye on them in case they need less or more time. (Alternatively, you can fry them in a fryer).

Serve sprinkled with flaky salt and an extra dousing of vinegar.

Shrimp po’ boy jacket potato with coleslaw

Serves 2. Ingredients: 2 baking potatoes; Neutral oil; 100ml buttermilk; 1tsp smoked paprika; 1tsp dried mixed herbs; 1tsp garlic granules; 1tsp onion granules; ½tsp ground black pepper; 8–10 raw, deveined prawns; 50g plain flour; Few knobs of butter

For the coleslaw: ⅛ small red cabbage, thinly shredded; ⅛ small white cabbage, thinly shredded; ½ carrot, peeled and julienned; 2tsp white wine vinegar; 2tsp olive oil; Small handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves chopped; Small handful of chives, chopped; Salt and black pepper

For the sauce: 2tbsp mayo; 1tbsp ketchup; Squeeze of lemon juice; Dash of Tabasco; Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/Gas 7. Rub your potatoes with oil and a good amount of salt, and pierce them all over with a fork. Place them on a rack in the middle of the oven and bake for about 50–60 minutes, until tender on the inside and crisp on the outside.

While the potatoes are baking, make the coleslaw. Mix together all the veg in a bowl. In another bowl, combine the white wine vinegar, olive oil and herbs. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and turn to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside for later.

Make the sauce by mixing together all the ingredients in a bowl, seasoning with salt and pepper, then tasting and adjusting the ingredients to your preference. Set aside.

Once the potatoes are almost ready, season the buttermilk with salt and pepper and half a teaspoon each of the smoked paprika, dried mixed herbs, garlic granules and onion granules, and a quarter of a teaspoon of the ground black pepper, then tip in the prawns. In a bowl, combine the flour, a big pinch of salt to season, and the remaining smoked paprika, herbs, garlic and onion granules, and pepper.

Pour your oil into a deep-fat fryer or a heavy-based saucepan (don’t let it come more than halfway up the inside of the pan). Place the pan over a high heat and get the oil to 180°C/350°F on a cooking thermometer (or use the thermometer in your fryer).

Sprinkle one tablespoon of the seasoned buttermilk into the flour and stir to form some clumps that will go super-crispy. Shake off the excess buttermilk and, in batches, coat the prawns in the flour and fry for about one to two minutes, until golden brown, crispy and cooked through. Set each batch aside to drain on kitchen paper while you fry the remainder, then season lightly with salt.

Slice the jacket lengthways down the middle, open it up slightly and fork in the butter to melt. Top with a large dollop of the coleslaw, and crown with a few of those crispy prawns and a drizzle of sauce.

Smashed potato nachos

Serves 4. Ingredients: 1.2kg Maris Piper potatoes, halved (no need to peel); Salt and black pepper

For the spiced oil: 1tsp smoked paprika; 1tsp garlic granules; 2tbsp olive oil

For the pickled red onions: 1 red onion, finely sliced; Juice of 3–4 limes; Pinch of caster sugar

To serve and garnish: 1 ripe avocado; ½ red onion, finely diced; Juice of 1 lime; Small bunch of coriander, leaves finely chopped; 3 slices of American processed cheese; Splash of whole milk, or as needed; Sour cream; Sliced pickled jalapeños; Sliced red chilli; Sliced spring onions

Get your potatoes into a saucepan of heavily salted, cold water. Place the pan over a high heat and bring the water to the boil. Reduce the heat and leave on a gentle boil for 20–25 minutes, until the potatoes fall off the tip of a knife.

Drain in a colander. Place the colander over the pan on the turned-off hob and leave to steam-dry with a tea towel over the top for five to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat your oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas 6. On a large baking tray, space out the potatoes and use the bottom of a jar or tin to press them down and crush them so they have lots of edges to go crispy.

To make the spiced oil, mix together the smoked paprika, garlic granules and a big pinch each of salt and pepper with the olive oil. Use some of this to brush all over the potatoes, then roast them in the oven for 30–40 minutes, before flipping them over, brushing with a little more spiced oil, and roasting for 15–20 minutes more, until the spiced oil has turned a dark red and the potatoes are cooked and crispy.

Meanwhile, mix together the ingredients for the pickled red onions (you want just enough lime juice to cover them) and leave them to soften and infuse for at least 10 minutes, then set aside.

De-stone the avocado and scoop out the flesh into a bowl. Smash the avocado with a fork and mix through the red onion, lime juice and chopped coriander. Season well with salt and pepper.

In a small microwaveable bowl, microwave the American cheese slices with the splash of milk, on full power in 30-second bursts. Stir after each burst, until the cheese has melted to a sauce. Add in a bit more milk if it is a little thick.

Layer up the potatoes with the pickled onions, dollops of guacamole and sour cream, and a few jalapeño and chilli slices, then drizzle with the cheese sauce and garnish with a sprinkling of spring onions.