I’m happy to bet that even anchovy-haters will love this.

Anchovies eaten on their own (although I don’t know of anyone who would eat them straight from the can) are intensely salty and fishy but once they’ve been incorporated into the sauce of a dish, they add a wonderful, complex and unidentifiable richness.

I’ve fed them to alleged anchovy-phobes on numerous occasions, sneakily incorporating them into a lamb shank recipe, pasta dish or appetizer; they were none the wiser – but of course, I’d never serve them to a vegetarian.

Adding anchovies and garlic to baby (new) potatoes then roasting them in the oven, results in a dish so wonderfully luxurious and rich tasting, that despite being intended as a side vegetable, I’ve found myself eating them all on their own, topped with a fistful of chopped parsley. They’re that good. They also go very well with any fish, meat or chicken entree.

Roast New Potatoes, Anchovies, Garlic & Parsley

ROASTED NEW POTATOES with ANCHOVIES, GARLIC & PARSLEY

(Serves 4-6 as a side dish)

Ingredients:

2 lbs (1 kilo) of baby potatoes; red, white or both – washed and patted dry

1.5 oz (42g) of unsalted butter

3 tablespoons of extra-v olive oil

3 anchovy fillets, roughly chopped

2 fat cloves of garlic, crushed with a small amount of sea salt

2 heaped tablespoons of chopped flat leaf (Italian) parsley, plus extra to serve

2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice

5 fl oz (142ml) of water

Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt to taste

Action:

Preheat the oven to 400F (200C).  Halve or quarter the larger potatoes so that they’re roughly the same size.

On the stove top, heat the butter and olive oil together in a roasting pan or wide, ovenproof skillet. Add the anchovy fillets, mashing with the back of a fork until they’ve mostly dissolved. Add the potatoes and stir fry for a few minutes, until they start to brown.

Stir in the garlic and parsley then carefully pour in the water and lemon juice. Give everything a good grind of black pepper and a little more sea salt to taste, mixing well.

Roast in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, stirring and basting at ten minute intervals. Once they’re golden and tender, tip them into a warmed serving dish and pour all the buttery rich juices over. Serve immediately, topped with more chopped parsley.