Use a potato peeler to pare off the skins as thinly as possible and then cut the potatoes into even-sized chunks
not too small. If they are large
quarter them and if they are small
halve them.
Put the potato chunks in a large saucepan
then pour boiling water over them
add 1 dessertspoon of salt
put on a lid and simmer gently until they are absolutely tender - they should take approximately 25 minutes. The way to tell whether they are ready is to pierce them with a skewer in the thickest part; the potato should not be hard in the centre. And you need to be careful here
because if they are slightly underdone you do get lumps.
When the potatoes are cooked
drain them. Cover them with a clean tea cloth to absorb some of the steam for about 5 minutes
then add the pesto and a seasoning of salt and pepper. Using an electric hand whisk
start whisking at a slow speed to break up the potatoes
