It's been a chilly start to the year, and sometimes all I want for supper is something easy that I can eat as I read in front of the fire.

This morning was market day in one of the local villages, and as I stocked up on bits and pieces for the weekend ahead, my eye was caught by the stall selling fresh cabécous, a type of local goats' cheese. My wife is passionate about the sharp cheeses, and would eat them by the handful if she could, but I usually prefer the Tomme d'Audrix made by my neighbour.

Today, however, with some eggs and potatoes to use up, the cabécous were perfect for a latke-inspired meal.

4 cabécous (any semi-firm goats' cheese will do in a pinch)
4 large potatoes
2 egg yolks
a bunch of fresh basil
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
a pinch of fennel seed

1. Peel, wash and grate the potatoes. Mix with the egg yolks.
2. Finely chop 8 - 10 basil leaves and add to the potatoes. Season and mix well.
3. Form the mixture into 4 ‘cakes'. Heat the oil in a frying pan, then fry the cakes for 5 minutes on each side. Place on absorbent kitchen roll.
4. Place potato cakes on the grill pan, and top each with a Cabécou du Périgord goat's cheese. Grill until the cheese is lightly golden.

Serve garnished with the remaining basil and the fennel seeds.

Recipe via www.frenchgoatscheese.com.

When one is laid up with flu, doctors advise all sorts of things. Liquids, vitamin C, bed rest, leafy green vegetables... I advocate listening to your body and giving it what it wants.

Having spent the past few days feeling as though I were at death's door, there was nothing I wanted less than spinach, kale, or any of the iron-rich leafy greens known to be good for the body. No, what I wanted was food that was good for the soul, designed to soothe and heal in equal measure. Fortunately, the perfect recipe can be found in any Dordogne cookbook.

Traditionally served with duck, pommes sarladaise are rich, unctuous, and filled with garlic. But as an invalid, I couldn't stomach the idea of meat. All I wanted was enough garlic to kill off the germs, served on a base of potatoes as familiar as my mother's mash. Fortunately, my daughter is a dab hand in the kitchen. The recipe below is my wife's take on a Perigord classic.

680g waxy potatoes
3 tbsps rendered duck or goose fat
125g chopped flat leaf parsley
2 garlic cloves (more if you're warding off vampires or germs)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Peel potatoes, then cut into ¼-inch-thick slices. Rinse in two or three changes of cold water until water runs clear. Drain and pat very dry.
2. Heat fat in a 12-inch non-stick frying pan over a medium heat until melted. Cook potatoes with ¾ tsp salt, turning gently, until coated with fat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, turning occasionally, until golden in spots and potatoes are tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, finely chop parsley and garlic together. Gently stir parsley mixture into cooked potatoes.