Italian Potato Salad

Did you know there are over 4,000 varieties of potato?  Wow, and yet we see just a few in our supermarkets and greengrocers.  I have no green thumb (I've just killed another pot plant), but I once tried to grow some potatoes in a bucket.  I had read that you could just throw in some sprouted potatoes along with some potting soil, and eventually you'd end up with a bucket full of tasty tubers. 

Sadly, this was not to be, my friends, and I just ended up with a heavy bucket of damp soil, after watering and waiting for weeks.  It would have been especially sad for my friend who had been nurturing the bucket for days while we were away :=(  But I decided this was something she did not need to know! 

This recipe is from Donna Hay's Christmas Feasts and Treats.  It's great for those watching their weight as there is no mayo or sour cream.  But it does have lots of flavour!  Bake or grill some fish or chicken, and you have a delicious dinner on hand.  I teamed it with some baked salmon. 

add a protein and you're ready for dinner

Serves 3-4:

ingredients:

800g./28 oz baby potatoes

half a red onion, finely sliced

1/2-1 Tbs lemon zest

65 mL/2 biiiiiig oz of lemon juice

40 mL/a scant 1.5 oz of EV olive oil

2 long, hot red chillies, finely chopped (and de-seeded if you wish)

30g./1 biiiig oz salted baby capers, rinsed

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

a handful of dill, and of parsley, roughly chopped or torn

50g./1.5 biiig oz of rocket leaves or baby spinach  (I used spinach)

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

First zap the potatoes in your microwave for 5-6 minutes (or boil in salted water) till tender

Drain, leave to cool, then slice (very) thickly, or cut into chunks

By this time, you've sliced the onion, and zested and juiced the lemon

So put the onion, lemon zest and juice into a bowl that won't react - i.e. - not metal!, so glass or ceramic - and let this sit for a bit

Now grab a frypan and heat the EVO oil over medium heat

In go the chillies and capers, and let 'em cook for several minutes (4-5 maybe?) till getting a wee bit crispy

Add the garlic and cook/stir for another minute or two (or 3) till the whole shebang is golden (but watch it so it doesn't burn)

Now find yourself a pretty salad bowl and tip in the potatoes, herbs, onion, rocket, salt and pepper 

Add the chilli mixture to the bowl (yep the oil and all from the pan)

On goes the onion pickling liquid, and give it a good stir

Serve with your protein of choice - I cooked up some fresh salmon 

Notes:

I made a half quantity of this salad - but just double everything for the original Donna recipe

ingredients gathered

get slicing ...

watch those baby capers puff up

ready for tossing

ready to eat

add a bit of baked or grilled salmon or chicken

c, Sherry M.