Potatoes
Andy’s New Potato Blurb
Ingredients
- New Potatoes
- Butter
- Pinch of one of our Herb Salt mixes, Mediterranean Dreams or Salty Sicilian Love
- Freshly ground Black Pepper
Recipe Notes
True new potatoes are a rare treat. A new potato is not a small potato but a fresh potato harvested from a green, growing potato plant. A somewhat scuffed, frayed appearance to the potato skin is a frequent consequence of harvesting such tender spuds and is unavoidable because the skin has not yet hardened. If left to mature new potatoes would get a little bigger and the skins would get tougher making for typical potatoes that are easier to harvest and ship. Unfortunately for the potato connoisseur the potato, once cured, always loses some of its tender moisture. New potatoes wilt and must be treated like green vegetables and stored in a bag in the fridge. When I get them as a first treat of the potato crop I never store them at all but eat them promptly.
Directions
I like to steam them briefly and then roll the hot little potatoes in a little butter, a pinch of salt, and twist of pepper and voila! Do potatoes get any better? A friend from Idaho said when she was a girl they would eat new potatoes raw. I’ve tried it – the experience is not unlike jicama.
Garden Soup with Lacinato Kale and Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 2 onions or 2 large leeks, diced
- 1/2 pound potatoes, diced (a few small or one large)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to finish
- 2 cups stemmed and slivered lacinato kale OR, chopped spigariello
- 2 cups (more or less) small cauliflower florets
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 6 cups broth: homemade or purchased, vegetable, bean broth, or chicken stock
- Asiago cheese for grating at the end
Recipe Notes
Adapted from Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen.
Directions
Wash the leeks if using. Chop the potato, leaving the skin on if you like, if it’s organic. Warm the olive oil in soup pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and the potato, give them a stir, and while they’re warming up, slick the kale or spigariello off its ropy stems, then slice the leaves into short ribbons. Add the kale/spigariello to the pot along with the cauliflower, garlic, and salt. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add the stock, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle some olive oil into each. Season with pepper and grate a little cheese into the soup.
Julia’s Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 4 pounds new or fingerling potatoes, cut into rough 1-inch pieces and cooked til tender
- 2 tablespoons rice or cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 bunch scallions, sliced thin
- 1 small head fennel or celery stalk, cut into small dice (optional)
- 1/3 cup sweet pickle (not relish), cut into small dice (optional)
- small-medium handful washed and chopped arugula leaves
- 1 cup mayonnaise (homemade makes this dish sublime)
- 3 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
- 1 generous bunch minced fresh parsley
Recipe Notes
By Julia Wiley. Serves 6-8.
Directions
Layer warm potato pieces in medium bowl; sprinkle with vinegar, salt, and pepper as you go. Refrigerate while preparing remaining ingredients.
Mix in remaining ingredients; refrigerate until ready to serve.
Sweet Potato Puree with Roasted Garlic
Ingredients
- 1 head garlic
- 2 pounds of sweet potatoes
- 2 pounds of russet potatoes
- Salt & Pepper
- 2 cups milk
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Recipe Notes
From Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse Vegetables. Serves 6 to 8.
Directions
First roast the garlic: Preheat oven to 400 degree F. Wrap head of garlic in foil and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until completely soft. (Test with the tip of a knife.) When cool, cut the top free from the head, separate the cloves, and set aside.
Peel and quarter the sweet potatoes and the russet potatoes. Put them in a pot with a steamer insert. Season with a teaspoon of salt and steam over medium to high heat until cooked, about 20 minutes. Drain, add the unpeeled roasted cloves of garlic, and puree through a food mill, using the fine disk. Return the puree to the pot and reheat over low heat. Scald the milk in a separate saucepan and add from 1 to 2 cups to the potatoes, depending on how dry they are. Then, add the extra-virgin olive oil to taste, and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or keep warm in a double boiler.
Andy’s Blurb on New Potatoes
Ingredients
- new potatoes
- a little butter
- a pinch of salt
- a twist of fresh ground pepper
Recipe Notes
Directions
True new potatoes are a rare treat. A new potato is not a small potato but a fresh potato harvested from a green, growing potato plant. A somewhat scuffed, frayed appearance to the potato skin is a frequent consequence of harvesting such tender spuds and is unavoidable because the skin has not yet hardened. If left to mature new potatoes would get a little bigger and the skins would get tougher making for typical potatoes that are easier to harvest and ship. Unfortunately for the potato connoisseur the potato, once cured, always loses some of its tender moisture. New potatoes wilt and must be treated like green vegetables and stored in a bag in the fridge. When I get them as a first treat of the potato crop I never store them at all but eat them promptly. I like to steam them briefly and then roll the hot little potatoes in a little butter, a pinch of salt, and twist of pepper and voila! Do potatoes get any better? A friend from Idaho said when she was a girl they would eat new potatoes raw. I’ve tried it – the experience is not unlike jicama.
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