Blog Layout
Tater Talk
Samantha Parish

It is safe to say, New Zealand has some of the best potatoes in the world. A merit to our rich abundant soil. Resident latitude chef Samantha Parish gets creative in the kitchen with these versatile morsels.



It makes sense that the crème de la crème of potatoes is coming from our beautiful neck of the woods – enter Oakley’s Premium Fresh Vegetables from Southbridge. This family-run farm is producing some of the country’s most exciting produce, and their potatoes are out-of-this-world DELISH. Washed and ready to be chopped, steamed, mashed, roasted, boiled and fried straight from the supermarket bag. Oakley’s potatoes are an all-rounder variety, meaning they can be used in limitless ways and not cornered into the mash-only realm of a floury spud. These buttery beauties are also a great source of vitamin C and potassium so we are ticking nutrition boxes too!


I loved writing these recipes and I am hoping they inspire you to look at potatoes not just as a classic go-to side, but something that can truly dazzle as the main event. Here are my top tater tips to get you using these golden nuggets with confidence in your kitchen:

Always start with cold water when boiling potatoes. These buttery gems need time to come to terms with the heat and from cold we allow the starch to ease into being blasted into the land of 100 degrees and soft pillowy taters. It’s not worth boiling a kettle, a cold start ensures potatoes are cooked through evenly and perfectly every time.


When boiling in a liquid, don’t stop at water. While salt is a must, why not take it up a level? Try cooking in stock, throwing in some bay leaves, herbs or even some vinegar for some salt and vinegar vibes. By imparting flavour from the get-go, we get to control what flavour direction our taters go in, which can only make for more deliciousness.


Embrace the skin. The beauty of Oakley’s potatoes is they have been washed and prepped to the point where we can be plopping them straight into the pot. Put away the peeler, the skin on these guys is delicious and sweet. Plus, less fuss required so it’s a no-brainer.


Taters don’t need much to be amazing, but a few pieces of equipment could set your mash apart from the rest. Get yourself a ricer for mashed potatoes so as to not overwork the spuds. A mandolin for ever-so-thin-slices, that a knife just can’t do justice, while cutting tools like the crinkle cutter are great for improving the surface area on our potatoes. Max area equates to max goldenness.


Think outside the norm: let’s take a moment to appreciate the beauty of the Purple Heart potatoes. Out of this world and so fancy. Make sure you give these a go! They have an incredible sweetness and are so pretty.



A woman in a pink shirt and black overalls is smiling

Recipes, words, styling & images Samantha Parish

Vegan Trio Potato Salad with Cashew Aioli


Begin this recipe one day ahead
Serves 6-8 as a side
Prep 15 mins plus soaking time
Cook time 30 mins


A plate of food with a fork and spoon on a table

50 g Oakley’s Baby Trio of Gourmets
½ bunch parsley, finely chopped
1 eschalot, finely chopped
juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
2 tbsp finely chopped capers, plus 1 tbsp brining liquid
dill sprigs and snow pea shoots to serve


Cashew Aioli
1½ cups (200 g) raw cashews, soaked overnight in water
½ cup (125 ml) oil (I used a mixture of olive and veg oil)
2 garlic cloves
1½ tbsp Dijon mustard
1½ tbsp apple cider vinegar


Vegan Chicken Salt
2 tbsp iodised salt
1½ tbsp mixed seeds, I used black and white sesame seeds, fennel seeds and caraway
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
2 tsp brown sugar


To make the vegan chicken salt, combine all ingredients in a microwave-safe container and microwave on high in 30 second bursts, stirring in between, for 2 minutes or until darkened slightly and aromatic.


Place 2 tbsp of the chicken salt in a saucepan with potatoes. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil then cook for a further 15 minutes or until potatoes are just cooked through. Strain and transfer to a tray to cool completely – this can be done the day before.

Meanwhile for the cashew aioli, place soaked and drained cashews, oil, garlic, mustard and vinegar in a blender or small food processor and whiz until finely chopped and paste-like. Add ½ a cup of water and whiz once more until smooth and thick. Add more water as you go until it reaches your desired looseness. I like mine quite thick.


To serve combine parsley, eschalot, juice, oil, capers and caper liquid in a bowl. Slice potatoes into thick pieces and add to bowl. Season with prepared salt to taste. Schmear serving dish with aioli, and top with potatoes.


Finish with snow pea shoots and dill and serve drizzled with oil and with extra chicken salt alongside.


Turmeric and Tandoori Potatoes with Spiced Lamb Mince



Serves 4
Prep 15 mins
Cooking 25 mins


A bowl of vegetables with a wooden spoon in it


600 g Oakley’s Baby Golden Gourmets, cut into 2 cm pieces
2 cups (500 ml) chicken stock
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 red onion, half thinly sliced, half finely chopped
juice of 1 lemon
1 long green chilli, thinly sliced
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp tandoori paste
400 g lamb mince
½ cup (125 g) Greek-style yoghurt
2 tsp coriander chutney (found at Indian grocers, sub with chopped coriander)
5 baby cucumbers, thinly sliced
coriander leaves and papadums to serve


Place potatoes, stock and turmeric in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and cook on high for 6–8 minutes or until potatoes are just tender.
Meanwhile, massage sliced onion and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Add lemon juice and chilli and stand to pickle.


Heat oil in a deep-sided frypan. Add reserved finely chopped onion and mustard seeds and cook for 1 minute or until softened and beginning to pop. Add tandoori paste and lamb mince and cook, using a wooden spoon to break up, for 3–4 minutes or until mince is browned. Add potatoes and cooking liquid and bring mixture to the boil. Cook, stirring regularly, for 10 minutes or until liquid has been absorbed and mixture is sticking to the bottom of the pan.


Combine yoghurt and coriander chutney in a bowl and season to taste.


To serve, transfer potato mixture to a serving dish. Add dollops of coriander yoghurt and scatter with cucumber, coriander leaves, pappadums and pickled onion.



Crisp Potato and Fennel Rostis with Paprika-Glazed Salmon


Serves 4
Prep 20 mins
Cooking 25 mins


A plate of food with a glass of water in the background

500 g Oakley’s Classic Golden Gourmet potatoes
150 g fennel (approx. ½ a small fennel, I used the remainder in the salad)
1 tbsp lemon juice, plus wedges to serve
2 eggs
2 tbsp gluten-free flour
1 bunch chives, thinly sliced
vegetable oil for shallow frying
sour cream and salad leaves to serve

Glazed Salmon
1/3 cup (80 ml) runny honey
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp smoked paprika
600 g skin-on pin-boned salmon fillet


Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease and line two baking trays with baking paper and place a metal rack over one of the trays.

Coarsely grate potato and fennel and combine in a bowl with lemon juice and 1 teaspoon salt. Transfer to a sieve and drain for 10 minutes, pressing down every so often to remove excess liquid. Combine in a bowl with eggs, flour and most of the chives. Season with pepper.


Heat oil in a frypan over medium heat, add quarter cups of potato mixture to oil and cook in batches, turning halfway, for 3–4 minutes or until golden. Transfer to tray with rack and continue with remaining mixture.


For the salmon, combine honey, oil and paprika in a bowl. Place salmon on baking tray (skin in contact with tray) and pour over mixture. Roast for 12–15 minutes or until just cooked through – remembering salmon will continue to cook after it’s removed from the oven. Add the rostis in the last 5 minutes of cooking to heat through.



Serve glazed salmon and rostis with sour cream, salad leaves and lemon wedges for guests to top and serve themselves.


Recent stories

A cookbook is sitting on top of a wooden stand on a kitchen counter.

How to Make an Adjustable Cookbook Stand

By Klaudia Krupa • May 22, 2024
With its sliding base, this stand can snugly hold any recipe card, tablet or cookbook – no matter how chunky or slim. Choose your favourite colours to ensure it is the perfect match for your kitchen or as a great gift idea. Plus, when it’s not in use, you can easily store both parts flat! What you need: 1 x 300 x 230 mm sheet of pine board, 18 mm thick (backboard) 1 x 300 x 150 mm sheet of pine board, 18 mm thick (baseboard) 1 x 120 mm pine dowel, 12 mm thick 2 x 40 mm pine dowels, 8 mm thick Drill and drill bits Drop saw Drop sheet Jigsaw or reciprocating saw Measuring tape Paintbrush and mini roller Resene testpots – we used Resene Gold Dust and Resene Apache Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel paint, tinted to your choice of colour – we used Resene Bokara Grey Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer Ruler Sandpaper Wood glue Step 1: Cut your wood to the sizes listed above. Step 2: Measure and mark out a 155 x 25 mm slot, positioned 40 mm up from the base of the backboard, as shown. Step 3: Drill a hole in each corner of the marked slot to give your saw a starting point. Then, use either a jigsaw or reciprocating saw to carefully cut out the slot. Step 4: Smooth out any rough edges with sandpaper. Step 5: To make the handle, drill two 8 mm holes in the 12 mm dowel. Each hole should be drilled three quarters of the way through the dowel, centred and positioned 20 mm from each end. Begin by drilling small pilot holes to guide the larger drill bit.
A dog is laying on a dog bed in a living room next to a couch.

Too Good to be True?

By Nathan Miglani • May 22, 2024
We are on the cusp of a once-in-a-decade influx of properties on the market. Nathan Miglani, Director of NZ Mortgages, explains. As we have discussed, in the aftermath of the election we saw immediate momentum in the market. Since March we have seen this start to drop as the reality of interest rates remaining high dampened buyers’ appetite. Petrol prices are high, the cost of living continues to increase and while the OCR is holding, and forecasted to hold for the next few months, people are hurting, which in turn sees the property market slow. But there is hope on the horizon – we are predicting that by September/October we will start to see interest rates slowly start to come down, but do not expect them to drop as quickly as they rose. We are seeing some banks offer as low as 5.99 per cent on a three-year loan, and while this might sound good now, my advice is still to only fix for a short term to avoid costly break fees. The most active market we are seeing right now is in the $800,000 – $1.3 million range with lots of buying and selling happening. This is set to ramp up come 1 July with the changes to the bright-line property rule when it comes to being taxed on capital gain – dropping from 10 years (or five years for a new build) to two. For many it will seem too good to be true, but it is! This is set to put in motion a once-in-a-decade influx of properties to the market from Mum-and-Dad investors who are currently hurting with the high interest rates, creating massive opportunity for both first home buyers and first-time investors. Other sectors of the market continue to feel the pinch and as an advocate and passionate developer it was important to me to be able to assist the construction sector, which sees the launch of our construction division, Construction Loans. This is for those who have decided to build their first home, right up to those developing a subdivision. It is about helping everyone achieve their goals – which underpins everything we do. For this sector, it is about ensuring that the finances are in order before it is too late. Arranging finance for building a property is different from securing finance on an existing home, and it is critical to consider the best way to structure repayments on the section and the build while maintaining lifestyle.  It is about empowering builders, developers and everyone to make informed decisions that work for their unique situations. There is no one size fits all, which is why it is imperative that you seek professional advice before it’s too late. We are here to help you avoid pitfalls.
A group of young boys are playing soccer on a field.

The Future of Happiness

By Dr Cheryl Doig • May 22, 2024
Dr Cheryl Doig explores why a holistic approach, when it comes to educating, parenting and governing should be considered. It’s a complex world that our young people are growing up in. Societal change, the impact of social media and technology are colliding with climate change, misinformation, disinformation, and warfare. Trust in governments has deteriorated and the world is more polarised. It’s no wonder wellbeing and happiness are such a focus in our schools, our homes and our businesses. The recent results from the 2024 Global Happiness Index showed that happiness in Aotearoa New Zealand has fallen significantly for all age groups, but by twice as much for the young as for the old. In 2021–2023, our young people were the least happy age group. Females under 30 have one-third more negative emotions than males. Our young people are not thriving. Contrast this with 2006–2010 results, when the young were happier than those in the midlife groups, and about as happy as those aged 60 and over. The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt provides some insight into what might be happening here. Haidt refers to our young people as ‘the anxious generation’ and outlines the following as contributing factors: Technology – constant connectedness and the facade of always appearing happy and successful on social media. The cult of safety – overprotective parents and risk aversion – not developing resilience nor the ability to cope with challenges. The loss of play – the decline of unstructured play and outdoor exploration, critical factors for social, emotional and cognitive development. The pressure to succeed – intense academic and extracurricular expectations. The loneliness epidemic – social isolation is more prevalent even though our children appear more ‘connected’. These are deep social issues that have no simple solution. What is needed is an holistic approach to parenting, educating and governing. A focus on literacy, numeracy and sciences alone is not going to lead to a wellbeing economy. Supportive relationships and acceptance of diversity matter more than ever. Creative and critical thinking, play and physical exercise cannot be forgotten. Futures thinking is one way of developing resilience, risk taking and autonomy, as it explores alternative world views and encourages anticipating a range of scenarios. Many of our teachers know this but struggle with the ever-changing pendulum swings of successive governments. They’re exhausted and not so happy in their work. Schools need that sense of community support. We are overdue for a bipartisan collective vision for education in order to create a future where our young people thrive, are hopeful and happy. It’s not all doom and gloom. We can make a positive difference! As parents, whānau and communities, my challenge to you is to consider one item from the bullet point list above. Lean into it and give your children a bit of space to be children and have joy in their lives. Don’t crowd them, cosset them and control them so much. Walk alongside and guide them. Let them learn from failure with you as their coach. Celebrate successes.
Share by: