900 g (2 lb) potatoes (Maris Piper, Belle de Fontenay, Binges or King Edward) 300 ml (half pint) single cream 75 g (3 oz) basil leaves 150 ml (quarter pint) olive oil salt and freshly ground black pepper
Boil the potatoes in their skins until just cooked. Simmering rather than wild boiling is best, to avoid bursting skins. Turn out into the sink, then peel as soon as manageable. Puree through a mouli into a warmed pot or casserole. Add the cream, slightly heated. Keep the potatoes hot over a saucepan of boiling water. Place the basil leaves and the olive oil in a blender or processor and whizz into a green sludge. Beat the sludge into the potatoes and season with good salt and a lavish amount of freshly ground black pepper.
This produces a wonderful mound of pale-green potatoes with a scent of heaven. Excellent with pink lamb, red beef, fish or practically anything.
Jennifer Paterson, Seasonal Receipts (Headline, £16.99 in the UK)