Rooster Potato, Smoked Pancetta and Gruyère Cake

For me, this is almost a meal on its own – served with a mixed salad, it’s a perfect winter supper dish. The Red Rooster is a potato that reminds me of the potatoes I ate as a child. It’s great for all sorts of things – baking, mashing, roasting and, my staff’s favourite, chips.

Serves 6

1kg peeled Rooster potatoes

50g clarified unsalted butter, melted

300g smoked pancetta, very thinly sliced

350g mature Gruyère cheese

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C (conventional oven 200°C/Gas Mark 6).

Evenly slice the potatoes about 3mm thick, then rinse them and dry on a clean cloth. Brush the inside of an ovenproof frying pan, about 22.5cm diameter, with a little of the melted clarified butter. Line the pan with pancetta slices, arranging them so they are slightly overlapping in a spiral pattern and leaving at least a 2cm overhang. (You should have some pancetta left over for the top).

Layer potatoes in the pan until it is a third full, then sprinkle with a layer of grated Gruyère cheese and season lightly. Repeat the layers until the pan is full, finishing with a final layer of potatoes.

Sprinkle the rest of the melted clarified butter over the potatoes. Fold the pancetta overhang on to the potatoes and use the remaining pancetta to completely cover the top.

Set the pan on the hob on a high heat to start the cooking process. When you see the pancetta start to sizzle around the edge, transfer the pan to the oven. Cook for 30 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 160°C (conventional oven 180°C/Gas Mark 4) and continue to cook for 30–40 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

Leave the potato cake to rest in the pan for 15 minutes before carefully turning out on to a plate. Cut into wedges to serve.

Rooster Potato, Smoked Pancetta and Gruyère Cake