recipes++

Potatoes O'Brien

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 1 kg/2 lb floury potatoes
  • 1 large green pepper, seeded and finely chopped
  • 1 large Spanish onion, finely chopped
  • 15 ml/1 tbs flour
  • 60 ml/4 tbs finely chopped parsley
  • 100 g/4 oz Gruyere cheese, grated
  • pinch of cayenne pepper
  • salt and freshly milled black pepper
  • 25 g/1 oz butter
  • 150 ml/ 5 fl oz hot milk
  • 150 ml/ 5 fl oz thick cream

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6. Peel the potatoes, cut them into 5 mm/¼” dice and place in a bowl. Add the chopped green pepper and onion to the potatoes and toss lightly with a large fork to mix.
  2. Sprinkle in the flour, finely chopped parsley and grated Gruyere cheese and toss again. Season carefully with a pinch of cayenne pepper, salt and a little freshly milled black pepper, bearing in mind that the mixture may already be quite peppery because of the green pepper.
  3. Use some of the butter to grease a 1.7 litre/3 pint ovenproof dish. Turn the potato mixture into the dish and spread it evenly. Pour over the hot milk and the cream and dot the remaining butter over the top.
  4. Bake the dish in the oven for about 1 hour, until the surface is crisp and golden brown and the potatoes feel tender when pierced with a skewer. Serve immediately.