A chinois is a cone-shaped sieve made with fine metal mesh. It’s traditionally used for straining things that are intended to be very smooth, like stocks, sauces and soups.

Place the colander over the pan on the turned-off hob, cover with a clean tea towel and leave the potatoes to steam-dry for 10 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/400F/gas 6 and ...