I had left a cutting for this recipe beside the computer. It must have been taken from a Waitrose monthly food magazine and is Rick Stein’s, based on the recipe in his book, From Venice to Istanbul, which I happen to have (and use a lot). William saw it and was not disappointed when I cooked it for a light supper on Saturday evening.

Of course, there are many versions of skordalia which, in Greece, is often served at room temperature as a meze. Some recipes use red wine vinegar or lemon juice in place of the white wine vinegar or walnuts instead of almonds. Skordalia can also be much simpler, made with only potatoes, olive oil and garlic. The importance is to have the mashed potato very light and smooth.

750g beetroot, peeled and quartered
2 tbsp olive oil
2 sprigs of thyme
6-8 anchovy fillets
Small handful flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
300g floury potatoes, such as Maris Peer, peeled and quartered
3 garlic cloves. crushed
70ml good quality olive oil
25ml white wine vinegar
20g blanched almonds, crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Oven at 200°C.

Place two tablespoons of olive oil in a baking dish with the beetroot and turn them so each side is coated. Lay the thyme sprigs on top and place in the oven. Roast for about 50 minutes or until the beetroot is soft.

Cook the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain well (but reserve a little of the water). Mash the potatoes well and add the crushed garlic.

Add the olive oil and vinegar alternately, a little at a time and beating after each addition. Add the crushed almonds and a little of the potato water if the consistency of the skordalia needs to be loosened.

Serve in a bowl with the beetroot chunks, anchovies and parsley scattered on top.