Potatoes don’t usually come with much fanfare, but on the Île de Noirmoutier, off the Atlantic coast of France, the spuds are special. Thanks to the island’s gentle microclimate and soil fertilised by seaweed, the ‘primeur’ (first crop), harvested between mid-March and the end of July, is eagerly welcomed by locals, visitors and chefs. When I arrive at L’Étier restaurant, near the island’s main town of Noirmoutier-en-Île, chef Patrice Millasseau has prepared a feast of potato dishes. There’s smooth mashed potato, deep-fried pommes dauphines, his signature potato stuffed with snail in herb butter, and even a glass of his potato milkshake flavoured
