Potato
Oh the potato! I used to always think of potatoes as hearty winter fare. But that all changed when I dug up a potato and ate it that same day. A freshly dug potato is just a whole different creature from the thing that has been in cold storage for 6 months. Potatoes do keep very well for months on end, but if you can get a potato that hasn’t been out of the ground for more than a few days, you are in for a treat (and your eaters will think that you’re a genius). That’s why in the summer I only get my potatoes from the farmers market. Once a potato has made it to the store, the magic is just missing.
What I choose to do with my freshly dug potato always follows my food philosophy. That’s the “Choose good ingredients and don’t mess them up” philosophy. I love red potatoes and usually choose those, but there are many other options. Ask the farmer which one they would recommend for what you want to make. They know their spuds!
I just made some farmers market pesto (recipe to be seen here in a couple weeks), and I can’t wait to boil some red potatoes in salty water and toss them warm in the pesto. I also love to make “country” mashed potatoes by leaving the skin on the red potatoes. But for your culinary pleasure this week I have included a recipe for my favorite potato saladish dish. Enjoy!
Make sure to celebrate National Farmers Market week this Saturday by checking out NOFA’s scrumptious pizzas. And from 10 to 11 check out our very own adult and youth pizza cooking competition.
Claire’s Potato Salad
2 lbs red potatoes, washed
2 tbs salt plus more to taste
1 medium onion
3 of your favorite large peppers (choose lots of colors!)
1 zucchini or summer squash
2 cloves slice or crushed garlic
black pepper
olive oil
1) Boil 2 qts of water with 2 tbs salt.
2) Chop the potatoes into roughly equal sized pieces. Add to the boiling water and add a little oil to the water to keep it from boiling over. Cook until the potatoes are soft enough to break with a fork, about 10 minutes.
3) Slice the onion, peppers and squash into similarly sized pieces. Sautee them in a pan with the garlic over medium-high heat until al dente.
4) Toss the potatoes in a large bowl with the pepper mixture, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy warm or chilled.
(As seen in the 8/6/09 "Our Food" column in The Montpelier Bridge)
What I choose to do with my freshly dug potato always follows my food philosophy. That’s the “Choose good ingredients and don’t mess them up” philosophy. I love red potatoes and usually choose those, but there are many other options. Ask the farmer which one they would recommend for what you want to make. They know their spuds!
I just made some farmers market pesto (recipe to be seen here in a couple weeks), and I can’t wait to boil some red potatoes in salty water and toss them warm in the pesto. I also love to make “country” mashed potatoes by leaving the skin on the red potatoes. But for your culinary pleasure this week I have included a recipe for my favorite potato saladish dish. Enjoy!
Make sure to celebrate National Farmers Market week this Saturday by checking out NOFA’s scrumptious pizzas. And from 10 to 11 check out our very own adult and youth pizza cooking competition.
Claire’s Potato Salad
2 lbs red potatoes, washed
2 tbs salt plus more to taste
1 medium onion
3 of your favorite large peppers (choose lots of colors!)
1 zucchini or summer squash
2 cloves slice or crushed garlic
black pepper
olive oil
1) Boil 2 qts of water with 2 tbs salt.
2) Chop the potatoes into roughly equal sized pieces. Add to the boiling water and add a little oil to the water to keep it from boiling over. Cook until the potatoes are soft enough to break with a fork, about 10 minutes.
3) Slice the onion, peppers and squash into similarly sized pieces. Sautee them in a pan with the garlic over medium-high heat until al dente.
4) Toss the potatoes in a large bowl with the pepper mixture, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy warm or chilled.
(As seen in the 8/6/09 "Our Food" column in The Montpelier Bridge)
Love each of these recipes! Now what about some good 'ol VT cheese recipes?
Sincerely,
Misplaced Vermonter
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Thanks! Next week I'm going to post a yummy pesto recipe made with feta cheese and this winter I'm definitely going to need a recipe writing excuse to get my hands on lots of Bonnieview Farm's unbelievable Coomersdale sheep cheese. I'll see what I can do about creating some cheesy recipes between now and then...
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