This is definitely a cut above and it's extremely easy to make. It's the perfect accompaniment to just about anything served with green salad or fresh raw vegetables on a hot day. It will also keep well in the fridge and tastes just as good cold as warm.

The potatoes should be the best you can afford, and try to get small ones which are fairly uniform in size.

Olive oil, as usual, is best, but if times are hard sunflower will do the job.

Adjust the quantity of herbs according to taste and use whatever you can grow or buy fresh.

What to do

As soon as the potatoes are cooked, drain them, pour the white wine on and stir. This should be done about five or ten minutes before serving, so that the potatoes are warm but not really hot when they come to the table, and they have time to absorb some of the wine.

Add the vinaigrette, stir. Mix the herbs and spring onion together and stir into the potatoes, adding salt and pepper - black or white will be fine, but fresh ground for preference - to taste.

Serve with an egg dish, meat or fish, and a green or mixed salad. And the rest of the white wine, of course. Bon appetit!

Ingredients

2lbs (900g) new potatoes, steamed or boiled, skins rubbed off, sliced (about ¼in/60mm thick)

medium glass (18-20cl) white wine

a vinaigrette made from tbsp oil & dsp white wine vinegar or cider vinegar

2 spring onions or 2 shallot cloves, sliced very finely mixed fresh herbs chopped finely (use whatever you can get or grow: chives, parsley, basil, tarragon, chervil, coriander leaf ... I would only avoid sage and mint, which are too dominant)

salt and pepper