It’s spring! Flowers! Allergies! Rain! Asparagus! Ramps! I’ve learned to appreciate these things while they last because before we know it, there will be an onslaught of heat, humidity, and mosquito bites to mark the end of spring.
Mayonnaise has never really been part of my condiment collection but the homemade kind is fun to make. You can use a food processor or give your forearm a light workout by using a whisk. Green garlic is the stalk of the garlic plant, harvested before a bulb (where the cloves come from) has fully formed. It has a mild garlic flavor and turns the mayonnaise a pretty shade of light green.
In a bowl or food processor, combine:
1/4 cup finely chopped green garlic
1 egg yolk
salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)
Whisk together by hand or turn on the food processor. Slowly drizzle in up to 1 cup of olive oil while the food processor (or your hand) is running. The mixture should emulsify and thicken (but don’t overdo it or else you’ll break it). Taste and adjust seasonings.
I mixed a spoonful of my green mayonnaise with extra mustard, capers, and parsley to dress up a potato and asparagus salad (that tastes better after sitting in the fridge overnight, by the way). I’m thinkin it may also do wonderful things to steamed artichokes, pretty much any sandwich, chicken or egg salads, pommes frites, some kind of crudités plate, crab cakes… basically any of the usual mayonnaise applications that could use a hint of garlic.
I like potato salad, but I really like it when it isn’t loaded with mayonnaise and is full of a bunch of other vegetables. Here’s one I made recently with a tangy mustard, vinegar, and yogurt dressing and a whole lot of dill.
1 pound potatoes, cut into bite size chunks
1/2 pound green beans
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (I like the seedy kind for this)
1 1/2 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 teaspoons white wine or champagne vinegar
1 generous tablespoon of olive oil
1 scallion stalk, chopped
1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh dill
salt and pepper to taste
a few dashes of paprika (optional)
Blanch green beans in boiling water for about 5 minutes, then dunk them in a bowl of ice water to keep their color pretty. When they are cool enough to handle, cut into 1-inch pieces.
Put potatoes in a pot of cold salted water and bring to a boil. Cook them until they are easily pierced with a fork (I think this takes about 15 minutes, but I never keep track). Drain and let them cool off a bit.
In a bowl big enough to hold all the green beans and potatoes, combine remaining ingredients. Add green beans and potatoes and toss it all together. Serve warm, cold, or somewhere in between.
Previously: new potatoes with peas and mint,
green beans and potatoes with basil pesto
I know a lot of people out there identify with (and therefore have a strong sense of affection toward) fictional character Liz Lemon, but I had a moment with 30 Rock when she outlined her upcoming plans in a recent episode: “There’s just four things I wanna do this summer: be outdoors, wear shapeless clothing, do some mindless activity like gardening, and learn Spanish.” So far I haven’t done any gardening, but I think shelling fresh peas counts as an equivalent mindless activity. They are definitely worth the labor. Fresh peas aren’t starchy and mushy like frozen or canned peas. They are crisp and pop in your mouth when you chew them.
Another spring/early summer headliner at the farmers’ market is the new potato, so named because they’re harvested before they reach full maturity. New potatoes are small, have thin skin, and are lower in starch than older/regular potatoes. Steaming is a common way to cook these delicate little tubers. I had them warm and tossed with a simple vinaigrette, but the dish keeps well and is also good cold.
25 small (about 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter) new potatoes, cut in half
2/3 cup fresh peas
2 teaspoons minced shallot
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
7 large mint leaves, chopped or chiffonade
Steam potatoes in a steamer basket for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until a knife cuts through one easily and there are no traces of crunchiness (just eat one). Add peas and steam for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, combine shallot, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper to make dressing.
Toss potatoes and peas with dressing. Taste and adjust seasonings. Let sit for at least 10 minutes to let the potatoes marinate a bit. Add chopped mint leaves just before serving (they turn brown as they sit in the dressing).
I am not the biggest fan of raw kale salads (or other dark leafy greens served uncooked) but this recipe from Epicurious may have won me over. I found cheap (2 for $3) bunches of young-looking kale at the farmers’ market, with thin stems and leaves the size of my hand. It’s a wintry dish but also a good way to use storage potatoes and smaller kale in the spring and early summer. What makes it a winner is the balance of textures and flavors: crunchy, slightly bitter and slightly sweet kale; crisp, warm, and earthy roasted potatoes crusted with salty cheese; a tangy, garlicky, and nutty dressing; and I threw a soft-boiled egg on top (because I love putting eggs on things). Full disclosure: I suck at peeling boiled eggs at home (or the ones I use just aren’t old enough), which is why you’re looking at a pitted albumen.
By the way, today is kale-lover Nancy’s birthday, so this post is dedicated to her.
I can only speak from my own experience, but this is the type of sandwich that is perfect as a light dinner after you spend a sunny afternoon outdoors, eating burritos and splitting an entire pitcher of margaritas with your friend Nicole who is now a freshly minted Juris Doctor (!). Cooking while tipsy usually goes surprisingly well for me (cf. spaghetti with Ashwin) and this was no exception: no cuts, no burns, no mess, and good food.
To make it: Toss trimmed asparagus spears and sliced potatoes (about 1/4-inch thick) with oil, salt, pepper, and hot paprika. Roast in a 425-degree toaster oven until lightly browned. Fry an egg, then top it with a slice of cheddar cheese to let it melt in the pan. Stack everything on a split and toasted roll.
More pizza! An article in the newest Cook’s Illustrated nudged me to make this. (Side note: this issue also has a bunch of tips for perfect cookies, which I will hopefully be baking later tonight.) Recently, my pizzas have been more puffy and focaccia-like than intended. The article tells you how to get thin, flavorful pizza dough: let it rise/ferment in the refrigerator for 24 to 72 hours. This slows down carbon dioxide production but keeps all the flavorful sugars, acids, and alcohols forming.
As for the toppings, I’ve been kind of infatuated with potatoes on pizza ever since Little Luzzo’s started serving potato and gorgonzola slices. I have no problem with starch-on-starch combinations and pairing something salty with low-intensity potatoes seems like a good fit. Here’s a rough guide:
Crank your oven all the way up (not to broil); mine goes up to 500 degrees. If you don’t have a pizza stone (like I don’t), keep an overturned baking sheet in there. If you don’t have a pizza peel (like I also don’t), flatten and shape the dough on another baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Top pizza dough with mozzarella, then sliced cooked potatoes (boil them whole in salted water, then cool and slice. If you want crispier potatoes, pan fry them a little bit first). Brush potatoes with garlic-rosemary oil (olive oil gently heated with sliced garlic and a few sprigs’ worth of rosemary leaves). Sprinkle a bit of salt on the potatoes. Add sliced sweet Italian sausage to the pizza. Transfer pizza, with parchment paper, to overturned baking sheet in the oven (just slide it off carefully). Bake in oven for about 15 minutes, or until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly. Top with grated hard cheese (Parmigiano, pecorino Romano, and the like) and black pepper.
Have I ever told you how much I love mashed potatoes? Not so much the plain-white-with-gravy kind, but the skin-on kind with a bunch of other stuff (garlic, fried shallots, herbs, vegetables, cheese) dumped in. One of my go-to lunches at home is a few small potatoes, mashed up with sauteed or roasted vegetables (usually green brassica things like kale, cabbage, brussels sprouts, or broccoli but also green beans or spinach) with an egg or two on top. This is a good guide. Sometimes I use yogurt, buttermilk, or creme fraiche instead of milk, and often I use butter instead of olive oil (or both). The photo is of mashed Yukon gold potatoes with thinly sliced brussels sprouts and shredded kale that got brown and a little crispy in a hot pan. I also added fresh thyme and aged white cheddar because they are two of my favorites. Garlic or fried shallots would’ve been good too.
Indispensable mashed potato tips I’ve picked up:
- Start with cut-up potatoes and salt in cold water, then bring to a boil. This helps them cook more evenly, I think.
- After the potatoes are done cooking, drain them and let them dry off a bit before mashing them. This helps them get fluffy, I think.
- Fat (oil, butter) will make them taste delicious, so don’t even think of skipping it.
I’ve been getting a whole lot of basil these past few weeks, which means I will have a whole lot of pesto for the next few months. This salad (I guess that’s what you’d call it) is one of those easy-but-not-boring non-recipe things that can be thrown together quickly and without much thought. It’s healthy, it can be eaten at any temperature, the ingredients are cheap, and it’s meat-, dairy-, and gluten-free (in case that’s a concern). You can even mention that this classic combination of ingredients is from Liguria, Italy, and not just some random cobbling together of leftovers. Can you say, picnic? Or potluck? Or gourmet camping?
All you need to do is:
1. Bring potato chunks to a boil in salted water (start with cold water and use a lot of salt! Here’s an explanation why). Cook until they’re tender, then drain and set aside.
2. Blanch the green beans in boiling water, then dunk them in a bowl of ice water. This cools them off and keeps their color bright green (basic explanation, again). Chop into bite-size pieces.
3. Toss it all with some pesto (more than you see in the photo). Season with more salt and pepper, to taste.
Last weekend I said goodbye to a grandfather who I will miss more than I ever imagined. Yesterday I took my last final of a semester that I should’ve earned higher grades in. Last night I had nachos and beers for dinner (Pavla would be proud). Today I’m playing frantic catch-up at work. Tomorrow my apartment will look cleaner and better than it does today, after we haul everything from one room into another. Next month I’m getting married (holy shit) to this dude I’ve been outrageously in love with for the past six years.
And all I really wanted for lunch today was this salad that I threw together while letting all of the above sink in.
a couple tablespoons of chopped red onion
a couple tablespoons of yogurt
salt and pepper
a dash of Worcestershire sauce
a drizzle of milk and/or olive oil
crumbled blue cheese
2 strips bacon
1 medium waxy red, yellow, or white potato, diced
handful of grape or cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
several handfuls of baby arugula, spinach, or other salad greens
Combine first 6 ingredients to make dressing. Set aside (I like to make it in the same big bowl that the whole salad will end up in).
Fry bacon in a pan over medium heat until crisp, turning frequently. Drain on a paper towel and set aside. Get rid of most of the rendered bacon fat, leaving just enough to coat the pan.
Add potatoes to pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook until potatoes are soft and slightly golden.
Crumble or chop bacon. Combine with potatoes, tomatoes, and dressing. Mix in greens.
Like Mark Bittman, I like to make frittatas with more vegetables and less egg. In the past I’ve packed them with leafy greens, but this recent creation seemed eerily inspired by loaded potato skins from a sports bar.
There are recipes that call for starting the frittata on the stove, then finishing it in the oven. There are some that will tell you to flip it over onto a plate, then slip it back into the pan (be warned: a lot of mess potential in this technique). I like to make mine not-too-thick, and either simply put a lid on the pan, or cut the whole thing up and flip over one wedge at a time.
3 strips bacon
2 small waxy potatoes, quartered lengthwise and sliced
1/2 small onion chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small head of broccoli, chopped
1 scallion stalk, chopped
5 eggs
salt and pepper
grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (cheddar would be good too if you’re finishing it in the oven)
Fry bacon in a pan over medium heat (I used a 9-inch pan). Remove and drain on a paper towel. Reserve a bit of the rendered fat in the pan (enough to coat the bottom of the pan).
Add potatoes, onion, a lot of salt, and pepper. Cover and cook until potatoes are soft, tossing occasionally. Add garlic and broccoli. Cover and cook for a bit more, until broccoli is no longer raw-tasting.
Beat eggs with salt and pepper. Pour into pan. Sprinkle scallions and chopped bacon over the top. As the edges set, lift them up with a spatula to let the uncooked egg move to the sides and bottom of the pan. Cover to let the top of the frittata set. Top with grated cheese. Or top with grated cheese, then move the pan (make sure it’s oven-proof) to a 350-degree oven for a few minutes.
