Potatoes

This wonderful vegetable can be found in the diet of almost every country. For the British, the thought of living without ever eating a spud, or tattie, is unthinkable, and for a fan of Indian cuisine, like myself, the thought of not eating saag aloo ever again is too much to bear. The Swiss grate them and make them into rosti, Americans turn them into French fries to be served alongside hamburgers and the French bake slices of them smothered in cream to make a gratin. Hash browns, potato bread, Jansson’s temptation, pomme purée, potato salad and my own father’s mock whitebait fritters - they all need potatoes.