Mashed Potato - Marcella's way

You might think it odd that something as prosaic as mashed potato should require comment. I certainly used to, until I discovered something; something I thought all my own until, most annoyingly, I found it in Marcella Hazan.
This is what I do. Remove eyes and any blemishes from your potatoes, cut them into pieces (unpeeled) about 1 inch square or a bit more - smaller will cook a little faster. Bring a large pan of well salted water to the boil, put in your potatoes and cook till a small skewer will ease through them easily. Do you have a Potato Ricer? If not, why not? Saves a lot of bother. I shall assume that you do. Put the potatoes throught the ricer: you will leave the skins behind but keep their flavour and get entirely soft, lump-free mash. Now, add pepper and a good splash of double cream, or single and some butter. Grate into the potato as much parmesan as will salt it but leave it hardly tasting cheesy at all - a whiff only. I'm afraid it depends on how good is your parmesan, and your judgement. Mix well, or beat with a whisk, pile it into an ovenproof dish and put it into an hot oven, or under a grill/fan to just brown. Utterly scrummy and once tried you will never return to old ways! By the way, do not, ever, use that pregrated stuff that smells of sick.

Jane Grigson's Chicken Cutlets

These are a bit of work (and you need to own a mincer) but they are SO delicious that it is well worth it. There are two versions; I think that I marginally prefer the one with tarragon but no mushrooms.

For two:

A big raw chicken breast

3 ounces white breadcrumbs (I keep a store of them in the freezer)

4 ounces butter, preferably out of the fridge and soft

Cream - I use whatever I have, single or whipping or double and a little milk

Herbs - the recipe says parsley but chives are good too, and tarragon if you omit the mushrooms

2 ounces mushrooms - Chestnut, brown or any of the ceps, girolles tribe

1 egg - beaten

Salt & Pepper

Chop the mushrooms as finely as you can, cook in 1/2 ounce of butter and leave to get cool. Or just chop fresh tarragon and parsley and/or chives. Soak half the breadcrumbs in the cream. Mince the chicken, mix with the breadcrumbs and the mushrooms or the herbs and mince again. Add 1 1/2 ounces of butter - I mince it for a third time but provided it is well mixed with hte butter that's not essential. Put it into the fridge for an hour or the freezer for about 5 - 10 minutes. Beat the egg in a shallow bowl - a soup plate is good. Put the remainder of the crumbs into another plate. Now the next bit is a bit messy. Take the chicken out - it should have firmed up quite a bit. Divide into four and roll each piece in your hands then flatten it. With two forks (less messy than fingers) roll each one in the beaten egg then in the crumbs, pressing them a little so that there is a good coating. Put them back into the fridge. Clarify the rest of the butter, and fry the cutlets gently on both sides till golden and crisp, JG says 15 to 20 minutes. Turn them several times. Pour the butter over them and serve.

Until you have eaten these you will not believe just how good they are. They can be made well ahead of time.