Cookbook author, broadcaster and self-confessed “queen of veg” Alice Zaslavsky is taking the stress out of midweek cooking with her latest book, Weeknights with Alice. Featuring 80 quick, clever and vegetable-packed dinners, the collection is designed to help home cooks build satisfying meals from the crisper up, using a streamlined pantry and plenty of flexible substitutions.

Organised by vegetable colour, the book also includes preparation and cooking times, ideas for using leftovers, homemade pantry staples and an index to help answer that familiar question: what do I feel like eating tonight?

Weeknights With Alice
Chat Potatoes + Green Beans + Smoked Trout +B ’n’ B Pickle Dressing

Serves → 4

Chop + stir → 10 MINUTES

Set + forget → 25 MINUTES

1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) small chat (new)  potatoes, halved
400 g (14 oz) green beans, topped, then torn or sliced in half
1 butter lettuce (or cos or oak leaf lettuce)
200–300 g (7–101/2 oz) hot smoked trout
1 small red onion, peeled, halved and finely sliced with the grain
250 g (9 oz) baby cucumbers, sliced into coins
1/4 bunch parsley, leaves finely sliced, stems finely chopped
1/4 bunch dill, fronds picked  (reserve some for garnishing)
Bread & butter pickle dressing
1 heaped teaspoon hot English
mustard
1 cup (245 g) sour cream
1/2 cup (40 g) bread and butter
Pickles

Bubbly chats → Pop the potatoes into a large pot, three-quarters filled with well-salted water. Bring to the boil, then drop to a gentle simmer and set a timer for 15 minutes.

In with the beans → Once the timer goes off, check that you can almost stick a fork through a spud, then toss in the green beans for another 3 minutes. Scoop out ½ cup (125 ml) of the water and reserve.

Drain and steam → Set a colander in the sink and drain the spuds and beans, then leave to steam-dry for 5 minutes or so while you get on with the salad.

Lettuce rejoice → Pick the butter lettuce leaves into your salad spinner or large bowl. Cover with plenty of cold water and leave to soak, draining and spinning (either in a spinner, or wrapped in a tea towel/dish towel and shaken or swung about) just before you’re ready to serve.

Get dressing → Scoop the mustard into a large mixing bowl. Splash in a few tablespoons of the hot potato cooking water and stir into a paste. Stir in the sour cream and pickles and taste for seasoning.

Flake the trout → Flake the fish on top of the dressing, feeling about for bones. (These are more of a bother with river trout; if you’re using ocean trout, no need to get too finicky.)

Meet and greet → Transfer the dry hot steamed potatoes and beans to the dressing and trout bowl. Then top with the onion, cucumber, parsley and dill. Leave everything layered so the spuds can warm the dressing and fish. Just before serving, fold everything together to coat. Taste again to make sure the choir is singing in harmony.

Bring it home → Tumble the salad into a serving bowl. Top with the reserved dill fronds, a crack of pepper and some flaky salt. Serve the lettuce leaves in another bowl and allow eaters to help themselves.