Chunky potato wedges

These are great with the seared tuna steak (posted a while back) and some nice tangy salsa.
Serves 4 hungry people as a side

4 large baking potatoes, washed
several lugs of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
(if you're doing the seared tuna thing, use some of the tuna spice rub on these spuds!)

Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Place your potatoes in it, and parboil them, skins on for about ten to fifteen minutes. Doing them in the skins keeps all that lovely earthy potato flavour locked in. Carefully lift them out, pat dry with some kitchen towel and cut them into big chunky wedges – cut lengthways you'll probably get eight wedges out of each. Pre-heat an oven to 200C.
Lay the wedges (standing up, ideally) on a baking tray and rub them all over with the oil, salt and pepper (and a big pinch of the tuna rub mixture if you like). Roast them for about 25 minutes or until golden brown, giving a shake about from time to time.

Also good as a snack with ketchup, or good homemade mayo.

Grilled aubergine antipasto

This antipasto is great in sandwiches, on pizzas, in salads, or just for getting carried away and nomming the whole jar without realising.

1 aubergine, cut in half lengthways then diagonally into half cm thick slices
Juice of half a lemon
a lug of groundnut oil
Table salt
Olive oil (or a mixture of olive and vegetable oil - quantity needed will vary depending on size of aubergine and the storage jar, but it'll be a few good lugs)
Handful of dried herbs (thyme, oregano, whatever's handy. A sprig of rosemary would be nice)
2 cloves of garlic, bruised and cut in half

Rub the aubergine slices with lemon juice, which will stop them discolouring. Then sprinkle them all over liberally with ordinary table salt - don't use posh Maldon sea salt flakes!
Leave them for fifteen minutes while the salt leaches out any bitter flavours, then wash off the salt and dry the slices thoroughly on kitchen towels. Rub them with groundnut oil. Get a cast iron griddle pan really hot, and cook the slices in batches, turning once - do until stripes appear on each side (about 45 seconds each side).
Leave the slices to cool, then put in a jar with the garlic and herbs and cover completely with the olive oil. Will keep in the fridge for four or five days. And when you've eaten all the aubergine, the remaining oil will also taste fantastic!