Potatoes. Any potato used for mashing and roasting will work well. Waxy potatoes won’t smash easily so I wouldn’t recommend using a waxy variety. Russet, Maris Piper, King Edward etc. are all good varieties. For the bacon and mushroom topping, fry the bacon until crisp, then add the mushrooms and fry over a high heat for a few minutes.

Fresh thyme.Other fresh herbs that work well with potatoes are parsley, chives, sage, rosemary and oregano. Bake until crispy: Place the potatoes in a hot oven and allow to roast until golden brown and crunchy, approximately 20-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve while hot.Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Bake the potatoes for about an hour, or until soft in the middle. Transfer the potatoes to a roasting tin. Scatter over the Parmesan (for pesto topping) or cheddar (for bacon and mushroom topping), or dust with paprika (for spring onion topping). Drizzle over a little olive oil and return to the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the topping is golden and the skins are crisp. For the spring onion and soured cream topping, heat the oil over a high heat and fry the spring onions until soft. Stir into the potato flesh along with the soured cream. For the pepper and goats’ cheese topping, cut the roasted peppers into strips and stir into the potato flesh along with the goats’ cheese and basil.

Boil the potatoes: Boil medium-sized potatoes in a large pot of salted water until they are fork tender. You want them to be pretty much fully cooked otherwise they won’t smash easily. Remove the potatoes from the water and allow to dry for a few minutes. Place the potatoes on a greased rimmed baking sheet or sheet pan, spaced apart to allow ultimate crisping action.