Crispy smashed potatoes

• Scrub the potatoes clean of any dirt, but leave the skins on.
• Boil them in plenty of well-salted water for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain them and leave them to dry completely on a tea towel.

  They must not overcook and fall apart, or they cannot be smashed – but they should be tender enough that a fork slides in easily.

  *You can boil them the day before you serve them.
• Toss the potatoes with a couple of tablespoons of oil and season with a little salt.
• Place the potatoes on a sheet of baking parchment with plenty of space between them, and smash them until quite flat with, for example, the bottom of a glass. The flatter they are, the crispier they will be.

  If they stick to the glass, brush it with a little oil to help them release.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan and brush all the potatoes thoroughly with it, then season with a little salt.
• Bake the potatoes in a preheated oven at 200°C, conventional oven (top and bottom heat), for about 40-45 minutes.

  *A little tip for extra crispness: if you have a baking steel, heat it in the oven as it preheats, then slide the baking parchment with the potatoes onto the hot steel – this makes the bases extra crisp. A pizza peel makes this easy.

  Alternatively, heat the baking tray in the oven and slide the potatoes, on their parchment, onto it. Again, a pizza peel makes this easy.
• Let the potatoes cool slightly before topping them with crème fraîche, lumpfish roe, red onion, chives and dill, if using. Season with a little freshly ground pepper.