Mini Anna potato stacks

I think potatoes are probably my most favourite vegetable. They are so deliciously comforting to eat and easy and adaptable to cook with. Sliced and coated in garlicky butter, the little mouthfuls below make a great canapé that everyone likes. Decorate with crispy Parma ham shards or with crispy shallots rings for a veggie option.

The potato stacks can also be made larger using regular tartlet tins and then served as part of a main course.

Ingredients - makes 12

250g small new potatoes

40g butter

1 clove garlic

Salt and pepper

For the topping:

1 slice crispy Parma ham and chives

Or

1 small shallot and parsley leaves

Vegetable oil

Canapé sized tartlet tin

Method

Melt butter with a garlic clove. Season generously.

Peel potatoes and slice as thinly as possible. The potatoes can be cut by hand, but the slices need to be really thin, so if you have one, a mandolin is really useful. Blot the potato slices as dry as possible with kitchen towel or a clean tea towel.

Brush the tartlet tin with melted butter. Add one slice of potato to the bottom of each tartlet case. Brush with a little melted butter. Continue piling up the potato slices neatly and buttering each slice until the tartlet cases are filled.

Alternatively: draw 12 small circles on a sheet of baking parchment and pile up the potato slices in the circles, brushing with melted butter as you go.

Cook at 190°c for about 20 minutes. Make sure the potato slices are completely cooked.

Cover the tartlet tin with a baking sheet and turn it over so that the Anna potato stacks come out onto the baking sheet.

To serve: Sprinkle with the crispy Parma ham pieces* or crispy shallots* and add a some chives or parsley and serve.

To serve later: cool the undecorated Anna potatoes stacks and store in the fridge. To cook, heat oven to 190°c. Put the potatoes on a baking sheet and cook for 6 - 8 minutes until piping hot. Sprinkle over the crispy Parma ham splinters and chives or the crispy shallots and parsley leaf.

*For the toppings:

Either bake a slice of Parma ham at 190°c on baking parchment for 5 or 6 minutes. Cool and crumble.

Or peel and finely slice a shallot. Dust the shallot slices in flour. Pour about 1 cm of vegetable oil in a small saucepan and heat. Fry the shallot slices until brown and crispy. Drain on kitchen towel.