Summer means the first tiny new vegetables, though we sometimes forget that potatoes also fall into this category. In June and July, they have a delicate sweet flavor. They are so good cooked simply! Sand, salt air, seaweed and ancestral know-how have produced new potatoes from Noirmoutier island. They're exceptional for their blond color, juicy flesh and fruity overtones.

No mashing or long involved preparation. New potatoes aren't boiled or steamed, nor are they peeled. They just need to be well washed. If necessary, you can put a handful of coarse salt into a towel and rub them to remove the skin, but it's so thin that you should leave it on - it's good! New potatoes can be paired with whatever you like. They're a wonderful starting point.

Sauté a panful of new potatoes with salted butter and place them on a plate with a little mesclun salad. It's delicious. Add a clove of confit garlic to the potatoes to make a lovely inexpensive first course. Or add a little meat juice and serve with grilled meat.

Here I make a nice skillet of Noirmoutier potatoes that I sauté with a little lobster and some asparaus. A delight!

Fresh new green peas aren't the same as the big dull-colored ones. They don't require the same cooking time, for one thing: there's an enormous difference. Small fresh peas brighten up at the first boil, and they're ready. With new potatoes, it's the same thing: they cook really quickly and they're as tender as you could hope.

Every year, I rediscover the same seasonal products, but I prepare them differently, just for the sheer pleasure of increasing the flavors and discoveries.