Purple Potato Salad with Kalamata Olives and Smoked Paprika Dressing

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This is the time of year when an onslaught of recipes featuring an overload of garden-grown zucchini hits the Internet as bloggers, gardeners, and cooks frantically try to use up their crop.

I don't have that problem.

Nope.  My two zucchini plants produce (slowly) just the right amount of fruits for the two of us, sometimes a bit more but nothing alarming.  Nothing I can't deal with.

Freshly dug garden potatoes

My problem is a plethora of purple potatoes.

Purple Majestic potatoes

Of the white, red and purple potatoes that I planted last spring, the purples are the most prolific yielding  more than 20 pounds to date, from 'creamer' size to fist size, with more still in the ground.

I have no idea how I'm going to use them all.

The thing about these purple potatoes?  The variety I planted, Purple Majesty which are purple all the way through to their hearts, are loaded with antioxidants.  Look it up.  In the potato world that means healthy.

Thank heavens.

(Of course, healthy only goes so far:  If you slather your potatoes with oodles of butter and sour cream all bets are off.  Just sayin'.)

One way to use up a quantity of potatoes is to make potato salad.  So when the call went out last week for a pot luck dinner, with the host craving potato salad, three of us complied.  All were delicious.  Mine was purple.

I wanted to play with flavors that would be as unusual as a purple potato salad is unusual so I tossed them with ingredients that are in my standard vinaigrette dressing, using mayonnaise instead of olive oil, and added smoked paprika because the smoked pepper spread that I made from Lydia's post , and which is slathered on the avocado and tomato sandwich that you see in the top photo, was so good (I've made it twice already) that I've had smoked paprika on the brain.

This was good.  Rather adult.  The kalamatas added to the Mediterranean bent and I was quite pleased with the results.





Purple Potato Salad with Kalamata Olives and Smoked Paprika Dressing
Christine's original recipe
serves 6
Ingredients:

• 1 pound (or so) purple potatoes, skins on or off to your liking, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon golden balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (I used Pimenton de la Vera dulce)
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt for the pot
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste to finish the dish

Preparation:
Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Add the kosher salt. Bring to a low boil over medium high heat. Cook until you can pierce the potatoes with a knife. If you overcook these they will begin to fall apart which, as you can see from the photos, they tend to do anyway.
When done, immediately pour the potatoes into a colander and allow them to drain for several minutes.  Cool for 15 minutes.
Whisk together the mayonnaise, golden balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, lemon juice and smoked paprika until well  blended.  Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl, add the chopped kalamatas and one half of the dressing and toss gently.  Add more dressing if needed until the salad is the consistency you like and tastes well dressed.  (I say this because tastes vary and it's better to start off on the conservative side with the dressing.)
Adjust seasonings with the sea salt and pepper if desired.
Can be served immediately or chilled if not using right away.

Enjoy!

Copyright 2005-2012, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

From the Garden: Recipe for Oven Roasted Potato Gratin with Bacon and Cream

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New russet potato

These days, my cooking style leans heavily toward whimsy.  Rarely do I plan a recipe or meal ahead of time other than ethereal thoughts.  (Which is why you will seldom see a holiday recipe on this blog that is posted before the actual holiday in any given year.)

And while it's true that I wake up most mornings thinking about what I'll cook for dinner, they are wispy thoughts, changing often during the day, usually inspired by what's directly in front of me - say, a freshly dug potato the proportions of which could easily feed two people.

Garden-fresh China rose garlic and sweet onions

So when I pulled said potato from the ground the other day, not so much visions of a meal appeared as floating bubbles containing words, tastes and smells and all I knew was that that particular very large potato would be combined with also-just-pulled onions and garlic.  Simple, straightforward food.


Bacon came into play when dicing changed to slicing which conjured up layers; cream, as onions and garlic were sizzling in bacon fat.


I know.  Bacon fat.  Cream.  Forgive me.    This is whimsy at its delicious worst.

Oven roasted garden potatoes with bacon and cream

Eat too much of this and it will expand your waistline.  [Suggestion: serve it to a crowd, guaranteeing no leftovers.]

Just dug, first-of-the-season russet potatoes have a thin skin (at least in my garden), are drier than the more waxy, less absorbent Yukon golds, and combine beautifully with any liquid that you want the potato to absorb, giving back creamy goodness on your plate. I recommend them in a dish like this.

The potatoes are growing just behind those wild onion stalks

Am I terrible to post a hot, oven-centric recipe like this in July?  Not in my kitchen.  The "summer" months of coastal far-northern California are foggy and cool - sometimes darn cold.  My zucchini struggle. The potatoes love it.


Oven Roasted Potato Gratin with Onions, Garlic, Bacon and Cream
Recipe by Christine Hills
Serves 8-12 small slices
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Ingredients:

• 1 or 2 large new russet potatoes, scrubbed and sliced crosswise in 1/8" to 1/4" thickness
• 1 medium sweet onion such as Vidalia or Walla Walla, peeled, cut in half from stalk to roots, then thinly sliced into half moons
• 6 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise
• 6 slices bacon, cooked to well done, save the bacon fat!
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup cream
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black peppercorns to taste

Preparation:
Set the oven to 350-degrees.
Prep the potatoes, onions and garlic per the descriptions above and set aside.
Start a large cast iron skillet or other heavy 12-inch skillet over high heat and add the bacon. When the bacon fat starts to melt turn the heat to medium-high and cook, turning over halfway through, until just crispy.  Remove the bacon to paper towels to drain.  Pour all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the skillet, reserving the bacon fat, and return the skillet to the heat.
Add the sliced onions and garlic to the pan and sauté over medium heat until soft and just beginning to get golden.  Remove them to a plate and set aside.
Add a bit more bacon fat to the skillet and warm it, if necessary, until fully liquid then remove the pan from the heat.
Place a layer of sliced potatoes in the bottom of the skillet.  I usually lay them down in overlapping rings beginning at the outside edge of the skillet and working to the center. Salt and pepper liberally then put down a second layer of potatoes. 
Spread the onion mixture evenly over the potatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Do another layer of potatoes over the onions and yet another layer if you have enough potatoes.  Again, salt and pepper liberally but to your own taste.  Potatoes love salt.
Pour the cream around the edge of the skillet all the way around and then over the top of the potatoes.
Cut or crumble the bacon into small pieces and sprinkle these over the top.
Cover the skillet with a lid or foil and roast for 40-60 minutes or until all the cream is absorbed and the potatoes come apart when nudged with a fork.
Remove the lid and roast 7-10 minutes more to brown the top.
Slice into wedges to serve.

• If I don't have my son Josh's home cured bacon on hand, I use Niman Ranch applewood smoked, un-cured bacon which may be found at almost any well stocked grocery store.
• I use Strauss Family Creamery organic heavy cream in redeemable glass bottles.

[That whimsy part I was talking about? - where I change my mind mid-chop/slice/or dice and, whoops!, go off in another direction? - that can be a bit disconcerting to friends or family members helping out in the kitchen .  (Which, I suppose, is why I prefer to cook by myself.)  Although Mr CC, who is quite used to my culinary antics after almost 30 years of wedded bliss, has become quite the sous chef, able to deftly change directions at my whim - and he doesn't give me grief about it.]

Copyright © 2005-2012, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Creamy Potato Tart with Fennel, Leeks and Fresh Garlic

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I know it's not the "seasonal" thing to be posting potatoes.  In the oven no less.  But as I said here, summer has not quite settled in yet.  Besides, freshly dug potatoes, no matter the season, are not something I can easily ignore...

Especially when paired with fresh spring goodies like fennel, leeks, and still-moist, just dug, pristine white garlic.  All you need then is the cream.  Okay, half n half, but no less.  If you're watching fat, consider this a once-in-a-while treat. Which it is. Believe me.

The success of this dish is dependent on slicing the potatoes and aromatics very thinly, which I achieved by using a mandoline, an essential tool in any cook's kitchen.  The cream poured around and through the layers is taken up by the potatoes, rendering a tender, succulent, melt-in-your-mouth finished dish.  And although I wanted the taste of freshly chopped parsley here, feel free to experiment with other fresh herbs.

Christine's Creamy Potato Tart with Fennel, Leeks and Fresh Garlic
(print recipe)
Ingredients:
3 large Yukon Gold potatoes
1 medium fennel bulb
2 leeks, white and light green parts only
4 cloves garlic
3/4 to 1 cup cream or half n half
olive oil, sea salt, black pepper

Preparation:
Using a very sharp knife and your best cutting skills, or a mandoline for ease of the task, slice the peeled potatoes along their length, the cleaned fennel from the bottom of the bulb to where the fronds begin to form, the leeks from the bottom up to the light green parts, and the garlic cloves along their length. Keep everyone in their separate pile.
Pre-heat the oven to 350-degrees.
Heat a 10-inch cast iron or other heavy skillet to medium, add a few teaspoons olive oil, tilting the pan to coat, then add the fennel, leeks and garlic and sauté until they are softened but not browned, about 5 - 7 minutes, stirring often.  Remove to a plate, scraping out the pan.
Off heat, add another teaspoon or so of olive oil to the pan and tilt until the oil covers the surface.  Layer the potatoes in an overlapping circle, spiraling in toward the center, until the bottom of the pan is covered. Make two layers of potatoes this way.
Sprinkle the potatoes with a pinch or more of sea salt and a few grindings of black pepper, then spread the aromatic sauté over the top, covering the potatoes completely.
Make two more layers of potatoes on top of the sauté, sprinkle with a bit more sea salt, a few more grinding of black pepper, then pour the cream over and around the layers.
Bake, covered, for 1 hour or until the potatoes are very soft and the tart is bubbly.
Remove the cover and bake 10 minutes longer to brown the top.
Remove from the oven, allow to cool for about 10 minutes, sprinkle with chopped parsley, slice and serve.

Another potato dish I've made is similar but not quite the same as this.  The addition of cream or half n half (really, use the cream) makes the potatoes and sautéed aromatics practically melt in the pan, melding their tastes together. The result is a thinner, smoother, more homogenized, if you will, creation.  It seems like it should be akin to scalloped potatoes, but it isn't. In my humble opinion.

Oops!  I forgot to say that the potatoes should be peeled, the leeks washed and outer layer removed, the garlic peeled, and the fennel washed, fronds and bottom stem removed and any blemishes removed with a vegetable peeler.

Bon appétit!

Copyright © 2005-2010, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Christine's Recipe for Potato Leek Soup with Uncured Ham, Marjoram and Thyme

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When I stopped eating wheat, I lived mostly on vegetables, leafy greens, eggs and fruit, with the occasional piece of fish or shellfish thrown in for protein. A good four months went by before I ventured into trying wheat-free substitutions such as rice and potatoes.

I found that I can eat potatoes with no marked change in weight (leave out the butter and sour cream!). Nor did I experience that heavy, bloated feeling that comes with eating wheat.

And although I don't eat them regularly, I don't fear them like I used to - all that high-glycemic starch - and have found out that they are a nutritious, high antioxidant (red and purple ones especially) addition to a wheat-free diet.

So in celebration of the potato, I offer a hearty, warming soup that is so easy to make you practically can do it blindfolded, although I would not suggest you do so unless your knife skills are at Samurai level.

One hour, from start to finish, this soup was the perfect main course for a chilly night, watching a wonderful old movie with our friends Robert and Simona.

Popcorn was the first course, but that's for another post...

Potato Leek Soup with Uncured Ham, Marjoram and Thyme
Christine's original recipe
Ingredients:
6 cups quartered small potatoes (a mix of red and yellow work well)
6 cups chopped leeks, white and pale green parts only
4-5 long stems fresh marjoram
3-4 stems fresh thyme
6 cups chicken stock, preferrably home made (use low sodium if store bought)
1 heaping cup cubed applewood smoked, fully cooked, Niman Ranch uncured ham (optional, but really good)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
small amount of olive oil for the pan
1/2 cup dry white wine
Preparation:
Add the chicken stock to a large soup pot and heat over medium flame.
Add the potatoes, bring to just under a boil then lower the heat to a simmer.
Toss the herbs, stems and all, into the soup pot and push them into the stock with a spoon.

Meanwhile, sauté the leeks in olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet (I use cast iron), tossing with tongs to keep them from burning, until they are softly cooked and slightly caramelized, about 8 minutes.

Scrape the leeks into the soup pot and return the skillet to the flame.

Deglaze the skillet with the white wine, scraping up any browned bits, then pour it all into the soup pot.

Simmer the soup, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender and the herby smells fill your kitchen, bringing hungry folks in to see what's cooking.

When the soup is done, remove the herbs with tongs and strip the leaves from the stems, tossing the leaves back into the pot. This is a rather messy job, but worth it in the end.

Remove the pot from the heat and, using a potato masher, mash the contents until they thicken the stock but still retain some shape.

Put the soup over low heat, toss in the ham cubes to warm.

Serve and enjoy.

Copyright © 2005-2009, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Purple Potatoes, Roasted Garlic and Green Beans in Fresh Lemon, Whole Grain Mustard Vinaigrette

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I am so excited to show you these purple potatoes.

Can you guess where they came from?

My very own garden.

I actually grew these!

My first time. I'm so proud.

Purple Peruvians

My daughter-in-law Evangelina's parents gave us a huge mixed bag of potatoes last fall, and when I had finally used up most of them, I planted what were left in my garden last March. There are still some Yukon Golds out there that aren't ready yet.

Never having grown potatoes before, I really didn't know what to expect, but here they are.

And of course I had to put a recipe together so I could brag about them.

Haricot vert, fresh from the farmers' market, steamed then cut into bite-size pieces.

Combined with gently roasted purple potatoes and garlic, then tossed with a lemon-whole grain mustard vinaigrette, these can be served cold or warm salad as a salad, or warm as a side dish.

Purple Potatoes, Garlic and Green Beans in a Fresh Lemon-Whole Grain Mustard Vinaigrette
Christine's original recipe
Ingredients:
4-5 cups Purple Peruvian potatoes, small sized, cut into quarters
1 head of garlic, cloves separated, peeled, left whole
1/2 pound or so, slender green beans, washed and cut bite-sized
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon plus 1 pinch kosher salt, divided
freshly ground black pepper to taste
juice of 1 whole lemon (approx 2 ounces juice)
1 heaping tablespoon whole grain mustard
1/4 teaspoon sugar
6 ounces plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Preparation:
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine the potato quarters, whole garlic, herbs, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a baking pan. Toss well, cover with foil, and roast for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender but not falling apart.
Remove from the oven, take off the foil and set aside to cool slightly.
Put the cut green beans on a steamer rack in a large pot with 1-inch of water in the bottom. Cover and steam over high heat until tender crisp and bright green.
Remove the beans from the steamer and put into a large bowl.
In a small jar or measuring cup, whisk together the lemon juice, sugar, pinch kosher salt, and whole grain mustard. Adjust to taste then whisk in the olive oil until emulsified.
Place the potatoes and garlic in a large stoneware bowl (scrape the pan to get all the herbs).
Gently toss the green beans in with the potatoes.
Drizzle the vinaigrette over the vegetables, tossing to coat. You may not need to use all of the vinaigrette.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cook's Notes:
One could enhance the finished dish by sprinkling it with toasted, sliced almonds or crispy bacon lardons.

Copyright © 2005-2009, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

No Name Pan Sautéed Potatoes

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I'm still working on a name for this dish. I'm sure it has a name (in that I'm sure it's been done before), I just don't know what it is yet and a Google search was of little help. I served this to Simona and her husband last night and got such rave reviews that I decided that even without good photos (yet), I had to get it on the blog.

Potatoes have received a bad rap from the low carb/low glycemic police. Packed with nutrients, potatoes can and should be part of healthy eating as long as the high-fat toppings and deep-fat, high heat frying are avoided. (This coming from a once avowed low carber who wouldn't have eaten a potato to save her life until recently. More coming on this subject in another post.) That is not to say that would I serve potatoes daily or even weekly as they are a high-starch food that can seriously mess with blood sugar levels, but I no longer fear them as I once did. And it has been found that purple and red potatoes especially are packed with antioxidents. So I say go ahead and enjoy a potato now and then - in its simple humble skin - the way nature intended. This is an easy and very tasty way to serve potatoes with simplicity and minimal fat. I would have sprinkled fresh chopped parsley on the finished dish but am having issues with my greenhouse parsley at the moment. If you make this dish, please have some fresh flat-leaf parsley on hand.

With apologies for the especially bad photo below (what can I say? My settings were off), here's the recipe:

(Nice photo coming soon)

No-Name Pan Sautéed Potatoes
Christine's original recipe
Ingredients:
3 medium sized unpeeled Yukon Gold potatoes (red or purple varieties may be used instead)
5 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped (for finishing)
1 tablespoon kosher salt (more or less depending on your taste)
freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
Preparation:
If you have two cast iron pans or other heavy skillets of the same size, prep them both over medium heat with a teaspoon each of olive oil and butter. Set one pan aside for flipping the potatoes. If you don't, be prepared to flip the potatoes onto a plate and then back into the pan.
Using a mandoline, or if you are very adept and have very, very sharp knives, slice the potatoes paper thin. I know that Yukon Golds are mostly round, but try to slice along the largest side.
If you have a handy little gadget like this, slice your garlic cloves paper thin also. If you must use a knife, slice them as thinly as you can.
After you have melted the butter and olive oil in one pan, remove it from the heat and begin layering the potato slices, beginning at the outer edge of the pan, overlapping the potatoes slightly, going around the pan and spiraling inward until your potatoes reach the center. The entire bottom of the pan should be covered with potatoes. Repeat this process two more times then sprinkle one-third of the garlic over the potatoes along with several generous pinches of kosher salt.

Continue this process until all the potatoes, garlic and salt have been used. You may also grind black pepper over these layers if desired. I chose to grind my black pepper over the whole thing when I'd finished with the layering.
Place the pan over medium heat and cook until the bottom layer of potatoes are well browned and crispy. Adjust the heat, if necessary, to avoid burning the potatoes.
Here's the fun part: Place the other skillet over the one holding the potatoes and, using oven mitts please, hold the two pans together and flip so the potatoes drop into the second prepared pan. Easy, huh?
Now put the potato-filled pan over the heat and cook until the bottoms are crispy-brown, just like the first side.
When all this is done you should have a beautiful and thin pancake-like potato dish that is crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.

To serve, cover the pan with a plate that will hold the shape of the potatoes intact and again, using oven mitts, flip the pan over the plate, dropping the potatoes in one glorious piece onto your plate.
Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley, cut into wedges and serve immediately.

Having been very lax at blogging lately and sorely missing some of my favorite food events, this is my entry for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging. The ever-popular WHB was established by my friend Kalyn over two years ago and is being hosted this week by Ramona of The Houndstooth Gourmet. Click here to read about the humble beginnings of WHB and here for how to join in the fun.

Copyright © 2005-2008, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Home Made Potato Chips

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Now before you shake your collective heads in dismay at the high fat, high carb fare appearing on this blog lately, hear me out.

These potatoes, organically grown here in Humboldt county, were an offering at the farmers market yesterday. Well, Mr CC loves potatoes and he rarely gets them because I don't cook or eat them. But the potatoes were so small, so cute, so colorful and his eyes so imploring, how could I resist? I'll make potatoes au gratin, he said excitedly. My eyes rolled in my head as I envisioned yet another pound settling around my hips.

It was not my idea to turn them into potato chips. It was his. We'd been asked to bring hors d'oeuvres to a friends house for dinner and he decided it would be a hoot to bring potato chips; organically grown, home made potato chips. What could I say? No, I do not bow to his every culinary whim, but I must admit to a bit of mischievous curiosity thinking about bringing potato chips as hors d'oeuvres.

Red Bliss, Yukon Gold, Yellow Finn, Russet, and Purple Peruvians all combined to make a basket of lovely little chips. I dare you to eat just one. It turns out that the purple and red in these little guys are the same antioxident rich anthocyanins that give blueberries their color and health benefits. Of course I didn't know that before we made the chips, but it does help to alleviate the guilt factor a bit.

My contribution to this endeavor was to slice the potatoes into very thin slices using a mandoline, then carefully blot the chips as they came out of the hot oil. Then I sprinkled them with kosher salt and tossed them with a grating of our local Mt. McKinley cheese from Cypress Grove Chevre. Mr CC did the frying. Exceedingly well.

Were they a hit? Did they make people smile? Oh, you betcha!

Mr CC's Home Made Potato Chips

Ingredients:

About 3 pounds of a variety of small potatoes

canola oil

kosher salt

Mr. McKinley cheese, grated (parmesan would be good also)

Preparation:

Pour oil to a depth of about 4 inches into a large, heavy pot and heat to 375 degrees over medium heat.

Have a thermometer handy to check the temperature of the oil occasionally.

Wash and scrub the potatoes then dry them thoroughly. Do not peel.

Using a mandoline, position the potato so the slices will come from the length of the tuber, not the width, and slowly slice until all the potato is in thin slices.

When the oil is the required temperature, carefully place the slices, one at a time, into the hot oil. The oil will bubble ferociously at first because potatoes are so full of water.

Maintain the oil temperature between 350 and 375 degrees.

Using long-handled tongs, keep the chips from sticking to each other in the hot oil. Never leave the stove during this process.

Watch the chips very carefully as they begin to turn golden brown. As soon as they do this, allow them to cook for just a minute more then remove them from the oil with a skimmer and place them on paper towels to drain.

You can gently blot the oil from them with paper towels.

Toss them with kosher salt and then grate some of the cheese over the chips and toss them again.

Try not to eat too many before taking them to your hosts.

Copyright © 2005-2007, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved