This is a gorgeously easy, frugal and tasty supper that is perfect for January when energy levels and bank accounts are at their lowest ebb. It’s from that master of unpretentious real food, Nigel Slater, from his fabulous book Appetite.

Just potato, bacon and stock with a generous hand of sage to bring a delightful herby savour. It takes just a few minutes to put together and uses only half a packet of bacon/pancetta, so you can keep the rest for another supper later in the week - like Baked Eggs with Kale or Bacon Cabbage and Potato.

Ingredients
From Appetite, by Nigel Slater (as ever I have tweaked to my taste, but that’s the beauty of the Slater recipes they are made for adapting to the meal you cook them for).

Waxy potatoes - 14 smallish ones
Olive Oil
Butter
Bacon or pancetta
Good chicken stock (fresh or a quality bouillon - I used the stock from my Christmas cider and mustard baked ham)
4 sage leaves
1 leek - optional

Feeds 2/3

1 Heat the oven to 180 C, slice the potatoes into £1 coin thick slices, slice the bacon and leeks too
2 Fry the potatoes until just golden
3 Butter a shallow baking dish or roasting tin and layer the potatoes, bacon, sage and leek (if using) into the dish, add just enough stock to reach to top layer, dot with butter and pop in the hot oven
4 Forget about it and go and have a nice sit down, after about an hour it is ready, serve with bread for mopping up the abundant sauces