Mikes Loaded Potato Skin Roses

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.Toss the potatoes with oil, salt and pepper and place onto a baking tray. Bake for an hour, then leave to cool at room temperature. Slice the potatoes in half and scoop out the middles into a bowl. Lightly mash the middles.Slice the skins into quarters and throw them into a mixing bowl. Toss them with the melted butter, salt, pepper, onion powder and dried oregano (hold a little of the butter back). Grate in the cheese and toss them together.

Step 2

Grease a muffin tin with the remaining melted butter and spoon a tablespoon of the mashed potato into the bottoms and flatten it out.Arrange the skins around the tins to act as petals, working from the outside and overlapping slightly to spiral into the centre.Bake in the oven for another 20 minutes, until the skins are crisping up.

Step 3

Peel and finely chop the garlic and shallot.Add the olive oil to a medium saucepan with the garlic, shallot, brown sugar and chilli flakes. Fry gently for 15 minutes until they’re beginning to get really soft and sweet. Add the tinned tomatoes and bring everything to a boil.Add the chicken stock and turn down to a simmer. Simmer for 40 minutes.Take the pan off the heat and add the leaves of the basil, then transfer to a blender.Blend the sauce until smooth.

Step 4

Add the basil, parsley and spinach to blender. Pour in 50ml of boiling water and the double creamBlitz to get a smooth, bright green sauce.

Step 5

Add the pancetta to a dry frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry until golden and crisp, then drain on kitchen paper.Spread the green sauce over the bottom of a warm serving dish. Add the potato roses, making sure they pack fairly tightly but so a little of the green sauce. Carefully spoon the red sauce in circular motions over the ‘rose petals’, then scatter over the pancetta. Arrange the basil leaves around the roses and serve up! Serves 4 as a side