Garlic and sage smashed jersey royals with pan-fried sea bass

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 5. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, then add the potatoes and cook for 20-25 minutes until just tender. Drain, then transfer to a baking tray and allow to cool slightly.
2. Squash the potatoes with a potato masher until they are almost broken apart. Drizzle with a little oil, then roast in the oven for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, gently melt 50g of the butter. Let it cook over a low-medium heat until it just starts to turn brown. Add the chopped sage and cook in the butter for 1-2 minutes until the sage starts to go crisp, taking care not to burn it, then remove from the heat.
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4. When the potatoes have been in the oven for 15 minutes, pour over the sage butter to coat well, then roast for another 30-40 minutes. For the last 10 minutes of the cooking time, scatter in the garlic. The potatoes should be golden and crisp.
5. While the potatoes are in the oven, cut 4-5 slashes into the skin of each fish fillet, then season all over. Heat the 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the fish, skin-side down, for 3 minutes, pressing down gently with a spatula so the fillets don’t curl up. Flip and cook the fish on the other side for 2 minutes, then take off the heat.
6. Before serving, heat the remaining 20g butter in a small frying pan and fry the whole sage leaves until crisp (about 2-3 min). Serve the fish with the potatoes, topped with the sage leaves, black pepper and any leftover butter from the pan.