I took a hiatus from this column to do what the Italians call “dolce far niente” and in that time, without having to write new recipes, I was able to eat and cook selfishly, following my own desires.

These took me to a little Pakistani curry shop, where I found a potato and spinach curry I could easily eat every day for the rest of my life. The potatoes were salty and fudgy, much like in a Spanish tortilla, and the spinach was an oily emerald tangle, having given up all hope of freshness. It wasn’t innovative, but it hit the spot so perfectly, I nearly shouted, “Bingo!”

PAKISTANI-STYLE POTATO & SPINACH CURRY — frozen spinach is roughly a quarter of the cost of fresh, and it works brilliantly in curries. If you don’t have the spices to hand, buy small quantities of respected brands such as Fudco or Jalpur Millers from an Asian grocery or online. You’ll need a large saucepan with a lid to make this. Best eaten with basmati rice.

Prep 15 min

Cook 1 hr

Serves 4

120ml rapeseed oil – I like Mr Organic

1 tsp black mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 brown onions, peeled and finely chopped

6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

3cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1-2 green finger chillies, finely chopped

200g tomatoes, chopped

1½ tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground kashmiri chilli

2 tsp fine sea salt

450g maris piper potatoes, peeled, halved and cut into 1½cm-thick slices

1kg frozen whole leaf spinach, defrosted

1 lemon, squeezed, to get 2-3 tsp juice

Basmati rice, to serve.