Apples, Potatoes, and Bacon

Preparation Put a pan of water on to boil. Scrub the potatoes and cut them into large pieces, drop them into the boiling water and cook for ten minutes, then drain. Roughly crush the juniper berries. Cut the apples into quarters and remove the cores. Warm the butter in a shallow pan with the olive oil, then add the crushed juniper berries, apples and drained potatoes. Keep the heat low to moderate and the pan partially covered with a lid. Baste from time to time. As the apples and potatoes edge towards tenderness, add the back bacon to the pan and let it cook in the appley butter. Season with salt, coarsely ground black pepper and half the chopped parsley. When the potatoes are golden and the apples soft, remove everything from the pan on to warm plates. Tip away any fat, but not any delicious crusty bits stuck to the pan, then spoon in the crème fraîche and mustard. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly, then spoon over the bacon and apples. From The Christmas Chronicles: Notes, Stories & 100 Essential Recipes for Winter © 2018 by Nigel Slater. Reprinted by permission of Fourth Estate, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Buy the full book from HarperCollins or from Amazon.