Here in arid southern Spain we don’t get the lovely range of autumn wild mushrooms that appear in other parts, but occasionally Rovellones, members of the Cep family will be available in the market. I used these for this dish, any well flavoured mushroom will work.
As mushrooms don’t keep, I washed all of them, cut them into cubes and fried them in a little olive oil the day I bought them, so for this dish they were already precooked.
Per person
40 grams mushrooms
60 grams chestnuts
150-200 grams small new potatoes
12 small sage leaves
olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put the oven to heat up at 175 C
Scrub the potatoes and cut them in half lengthways. Sprinkle some olive oil on an oven tray, add the potatoes, season and put in the oven for 10 minutes.
Cut the chestnuts along the curved top and put on a tray in the oven to roast and open.
After 10 minutes turn the potatoes over and add the prepared mushrooms. Put back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
As soon as the chestnuts are open and soft, check them after they have been in the oven for 15 minutes, remove them from the oven and let them cool. As soon as they are cool enough remove the chestnuts from their shells and take off the brown skin.
Heat oil in a small frying pan and when hot add the sage leaves. Cook for about 3 minutes until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a piece of kitchen roll.
Add the chestnuts to the potatoes, scatter over the sage leaves and put back in the oven for a couple of minutes to warm through.
Serve with a green salad.
