One of the reasons I enjoy trolling other blogs is discovering new recipes or an author's interpretation of a recipe. [You'll notice in the sidebar a couple blogs that are solely devoted to food.] It's a sneak peak of the finished dish with commentary and tips!
I also love photographs of food, taking photographs of food and making tasty dishes both sweet and savory. So, like many other people, I now have a forum to bring all these together, this blog! It's also practical to have a topic devoted to food and recipes as it's much easier to post once instead of frantically scribbling and including your own notes or trying to recall from memory.
Welcome to topic #2…Tasty Things.
Potato Salad for a Picnic
Actually, you can use this recipe anytime. I like using it for picnics or big parties because there is no mayo or other perishable ingredients. Plus, the potatoes are roasted so they hold up nicely and it's unexpected. This is the original recipe from foodnetwork.com
Here is our variation. The quantities listed below are for larger gatherings, say 15-20 people.
Ingredients:
- 5 pounds red potatoes, quartered
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 9 roma tomatoes, halved horizontally, seeded, and cut into wedges [you can use as much or as little as you like]
- 1 cup finely grated Pamigiano-Reggiano
- Dressing:
- 1 cup olive oil
- 2-3 shallots finely chopped [feel free to substitute 1 small red onion]
- 6 tablespoons Sherry vinegar or red-wine vinegar
- 6 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons salt [you may want to add more, i'm being conservative]
- 5 oz. mixed greens [you can add more or less greens depending on how "salad" like you want the dish to be]
Directions:
1. Par boil potatoes until slightly soft [strange "slightly soft" i know, stay with me]
The original recipe does not require this step, but we've found that by par boiling the potatoes prior to roasting results in a soft interior and a nice roasted exterior.
2. Drain potatoes and arrange on a baking sheet lined with foil [foil optional, but always provides consistent results for us] and drizzle with olive oil and chopped garlic. Roast at 450º F until brown, turning as necessary to prevent burning.
Perhaps this is helpful
3. Make dressing:
Whisk shallot, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Add remaining oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified.
4. Toss greens, potatoes, tomatoes, 3/4 cup of Pamigiano-Reggiano, and dressing. Sprinkle remaining Pamigiano-Reggiano over salad.
Notes:
For the greens you can use a variety or a single type, like just spinach or frisee. We have used mixed baby greens, mesculun, frisee and spinach. I've found that the frisee holds up well and doesn't get soggy. For the dressing, you can moderate the quantity to taste. I generally have a heavier hand than my husband does, i.e., i use all the dressing; he uses a third. This recipe is easy and tasty. Feel free to experiment with quantity, it's pretty fool proof.
Enjoy,
F&N