How to make roasted baby artichokes and red skinned potatoes with saffron mayonnaise

Celebrate the precious crimson spice by whipping up a divine mayonnaise that is the perfect partner for robust, roasted vegetables

Photos by Julia Platt Leonard

Saffron is known as red gold and no wonder, since it’s the most expensive spice in the world.

The good news is that you only need a few threads to impart a rich golden colour to your food and a flavour that some say has notes of honey or hay.

Saffron earns its price tag since it’s a particularly fiddly crop to grow.

Each flower on the Crocus sativus plant produces a maximum of three stigmas – the tiny saffron threads we use in cooking.

These must be harvested as soon as the flower blooms and picked by hand as they’re incredibly delicate.

Then, the stigmas are air-dried before being packaged.

While saffron is grown in several spots in the world, around 90 per cent of it comes from Iran, which is justifiably proud of growing some of the finest saffron.

Roasted baby artichokes and red-skinned potatoes with saffron mayonnaise

Serves 4 as a side dish

4-5 baby artichokes
400g baby red-skinned potatoes or fingerling potatoes 
2tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, sliced
Salt

Mayonnaise

1tbsp white wine vinegar
Pinch of saffron 
1 egg yolk
150g of mild olive oil or a mix of vegetable and olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 220C.

Place the saffron and the vinegar in a small bowl and allow to steep. If you have a microwave, warm the vinegar for about 20 seconds to get more colour out of the saffron. Set aside while you cook the potatoes and artichokes.

Place the potatoes in a saucepan, fill with water and add salt. Bring to a boil and simmer until you can just insert a knife through a potato. Drain and set aside.

While the potatoes are cooking, fill another saucepan halfway with water, add a few of the lemon slices and some salt. Tear the tough outer leaves from the artichokes, peel the stem, trim the top and bottom of each one, and then slice in half lengthways.

Use a small spoon – a grapefruit spoon is perfect – to scoop out any choke from the centre of the artichoke. Place the artichokes in the acidulated water and bring to a boil. Simmer until you can just insert a knife in the base of the artichoke then drain and set aside.

Place both the potatoes, artichokes and lemon slices in a roasting tin. Toss with the 2tbsp of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for about 15 minutes or until nicely browned.

While the vegetables are roasting, make the mayonnaise. Whisk the egg yolk, pour in the saffron and vinegar mixture and whisk until it starts to thicken. Season with salt and slowly add the oil, drop by drop, whisking the entire time. When you’ve used up at least half of the oil, you can now pour the rest in a slow but steady stream, whisking the whole time. Taste and season with more salt and freshly ground pepper.

Place the potatoes, artichokes and lemon slices on a platter and serve the mayonnaise on the side.

@juliapleonard