How to transform leftover baked potato into a summery Italian feast | Waste not

I’m rolling these gnocchi out of yesterday’s leftover baked potato and feeling rather chuffed with myself, because when you’re able to cut out a step from a normally scratch-cook dish such as gnocchi, it makes life easier. Crisp up the leftover potato skins in a pan with sea salt to enjoy as a snack, or freeze them for making loaded potato skins (recipe coming next week).A great way to make extra-flavourful fluffy pillows of gnocchi is to make them with leftover baked potato. Baking the potatoes instead of boiling them reduces their moisture content, meaning less flour is required, which in turn results in a lighter, less pasty gnocchi. Leftover baked potato also saves about an hour of prep time

Melon salad and Georgian-style grilled vegetables: Alice Zaslavsky’s recipes for barbecue-friendly sides

Adjapsandal is one of my favourite Georgian go-tos, no matter the season. Its more traditional form is broody and stewy, designed to burble away on a winter stove a bit like ratatouille, but with more fresh herbs. In summer, while the barbecue’s on and veg dishes of this kind are va-va-voom, it makes sense to just chuck them on the barbie instead and perhaps team with a spicy shortcut adjika paste using a jar of roast peppers. And, second, a very adaptable carpaccio for any firm fruit in your fridge or fruit bowl: melons, stone fruit – heck, even pineapple! The key is to use a sharp knife and slice against the grain for the best mouthfeel, much as you might sashimi.Piquillo peppers work best here, if you can find them, but you can use the ones from the deli counter, too, though maybe add a splash more red-wine vinegar to balance the acidity, tasting as you go

Air fryer, slushie maker, food processor, two blenders … is my Ninja kitchen appliance habit out of control?

Almost unknown a decade ago, Ninja sold nearly $3bn worth of products last year – and a good chunk of them were to me. Are we getting value for money?I have a problem. It has spanned many years, cost me hundreds of pounds and earned the derision – and concern – of friends and family. Don’t worry: it isn’t anything sordid but it does give me an absurd number of ways to cook chicken or use up a bag of potatoes.My poison is Ninja appliances

One-pot wonders: the secret to campsite cooking | Kitchen aide

I am limited to one pan and a burner when I camp. What would chefs recommend making?Maxwell, by email Happy campers need supplies, and Ryan Cole, executive chef and co-owner of Salsify at The Roundhouse in Camps Bay, South Africa, doesn’t mess about. “We have three square boxes: one dedicated to dry goods, one to oil, salt, pepper and utensils, and the third to camping toiletries; we also have a dual compartment fridge-freezer.”Whatever your set-up, a considered mobile store-cupboard of spices, stock cubes, good oil, grains, pasta, tins of coconut milk and the like will really come into its own. Got tinned tomatoes? Make shakshuka for a campside breakfast

Picnic-perfect: Georgina Hayden’s greek salad tart

Everything about this tart screams summer, from the cheery lines of sliced tomato to the ribbons of lemony cucumber. Eat a slice, shut your eyes and you will instantly be transported to the Aegean. Bake the tart ahead of time, because it’s perfect served at room temperature. If I am taking it on a picnic, I like to tub up the cucumber ribbons separately, then squeeze over the lemon and crumble in the feta just before serving.Prep 10 min Cook 50 min Serves 6-8If you have any plant-based eaters in the mix, use a non-dairy puff pastry and omit the feta

Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for halloumi, courgette and chickpea fritters | Quick and easy

Fritters are perfect for a crowd, because you can make them ahead and warm them through just before serving as a bite-sized snack. If the words “halloumi fritters” have your friends and family zooming towards a tray as quickly as mine, you might even want to double up on the quantities below. Unsurprisingly, these are also my children’s preferred way to eat courgettes.Prep 20 min Cook 20 min Makes 25+200g courgettes, trimmed and coarsely gratedSalt 200g halloumi, coarsely grated200g drained chickpeas (jarred, ideally), mashed with a fork40g plain flour 1 egg 4-5 tbsp olive oil 50g mayonnaise 50g greek yoghurt Juice of ½ lemon 10g chopped dillPut the grated courgette in a sieve with a pinch of salt, mix, then leave to sit for 10 minutes while you prep the other ingredients. Tip the courgette into a tea towel or kitchen roll, then squeeze it out to expel all the excess water