Summer's Little Secrets
A flavorful side dish of petite potatoes can steal the show.
Small, freshly dug summer potatoes are so delicate that you can rub their skins off with your fingers. At farmers' markets, you'll find these white, yellow, and red potatoes a little larger than golf balls. They need a gentle scrub under a cold tap, because, unlike grocery-store potatoes, they go to the market still covered with dirt. Steamed and sprinkled with a little parsley and salt, they have a fresh, earthy taste that may persuade you they need no further embellishment. If you want to keep going, simmer the little spuds in water and milk (for sweetness) and smash them before browning in the oven, or toss the steamed hot tubers with a little cider vinegar (for a faint piquant taste), then stir in a mustardy vinaigrette.
Of all the varieties of potatoes you can buy now, including petite purple ones, we think the buttery yellow and waxy reds have the most flavor. Some nights, we roast them in a large pan and sprinkle them with coarse salt and fresh rosemary. They also go into a summery chowder with leeks and corn. A robust mixture of small potatoes, caramelized red onions, and bacon is pretty wonderful beside a piece of grilled chicken. You'll be happy you left your low-carb regime behind.
STEAMED POTATOES WITH PARSLEY
SERVES 4
14 2-inch yellow or red potatoes, scrubbed Salt, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Set a steamer insert into a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Add enough water to come up to the bottom of the steamer. Bring the water to a boil. Add the potatoes, cover, and steam the potatoes for 15 minutes or until they are tender.
Transfer the potatoes to a cutting board. Cut the potatoes randomly into smaller pieces. Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle with salt and parsley, and serve at once.
SMASHED POTATOES
SERVES 4
Olive oil (for sprinkling)
14 2-inch yellow or red potatoes, scrubbed
2 cups milk
Salt, to taste
Set the oven at 450 degrees. Have on hand a 9-inch baking dish. Oil the dish.
In a large saucepan, combine the potatoes, milk, a large pinch of salt, and enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes to a large plate. With a fork, smash each potato so it is flattened but still very lumpy. Layer the potatoes in the baking dish with oil.
Cook the potatoes in the oven for 15 minutes or until the top begins to brown and form a crust. Serve at once.
STEAMED POTATO SALAD WITH SCALLIONS AND PARSLEY
SERVES 4
14 2-inch yellow or red potatoes (or a mixture), scrubbed
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
1/4 cup canola oil
6 scallions, coarsely chopped
Handful of fl at-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
Set a steamer insert in a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Add enough water to come up to the bottom of the steamer. Bring the water to a boil. Add the potatoes, cover, and steam for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Drain them and transfer them to a cutting board.
While they are hot, quarter the potatoes. Use a spoon to transfer them to a large shallow bowl. Sprinkle them with cider vinegar. Stir gently with a rubber spatula so the potatoes absorb the vinegar.
In a small bowl, whisk together the salt, pepper, wine vinegar, and mustard. Add the oil a teaspoon at a time, whisking constantly.
Stir in the scallions and parsley. Spoon the dressing over the potatoes. Toss gently but thoroughly. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if you like. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours before serving.
SMOKY LEEK, POTATO, AND CORN CHOWDER
SERVES 4
There are many ways to make corn chowder; the best is with a bit of smoke. You can grill the ears of corn or add smoked turkey breast. If you have a crowd coming, double or triple this soup and serve it with thick slices of buttered corn bread.
2 tablespoons butter
1 Spanish onion, finely chopped
2 leeks, thinly sliced and well rinsed
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 pound (1 piece) smoked turkey breast, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
Salt and pepper, to taste
5 2-inch yellow or red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups whole milk
3 ears fresh corn, kernels removed
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
In a large heavy-based casserole, melt the butter. Cook the onion and leeks over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often.
Add the garlic, turkey, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute, stirring. Stir in the potatoes, stock, and milk. Bring to a boil.
Add the corn and stir well. Lower the heat and partially cover the pan. Simmer very gently, watching that the soup does not bubble up, for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. During cooking, stir the "cap" of milk into the chowder, until it becomes creamy again.
Transfer a ladleful of chowder, with potatoes, to a bowl. With a fork, mash the potatoes in the bowl. Return the mixture to the soup in the pot.
Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if you like. Sprinkle the chowder with parsley and ladle into bowls. Serve at once.
SMALL POTATOES WITH BACON AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS
SERVES 6
4 thick strips bacon
2 red onions, halved and thinly sliced
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
10 2-inch yellow or red potatoes, scrubbed and halved
In a large skillet, render the bacon over medium heat until it is crisp and golden. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. When the strips are cool enough to handle, crumble them; set aside.
Discard all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the pan. Add the onions, salt, and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 15 minutes. Stir in the thyme and continue cooking the mixture for 20 to 25 minutes or until the onions are almost melted.
Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes, return the water to a boil, and lower the heat. Cook the potatoes for 15 minutes or until they are tender when tested with the tip of a knife. Lift the potatoes from the water and transfer to a plate. With a fork, mash them coarsely. There should be large chunks.
Stir the potatoes and bacon into the onion mixture. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if you like. Serve at once.
ROASTED POTATOES WITH HERBS
SERVES 4
Perhaps the simplest way to serve freshly dug potatoes is to toss them with oil and roast them until golden brown. They turn crisp on the outside and tender inside. Potatoes that are all the same size will be ready at the same time.
12 2-inch yellow or red potatoes, scrubbed
Olive oil (for sprinkling)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon chopped mixed herbs (fresh
rosemary, thyme, and oregano)
Set the oven at 400 degrees.
Prick the potatoes well all over. In a bowl, toss the potatoes with oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer them to a baking dish large enough to hold them in one layer.
Roast the potatoes for 1 hour, turning occasionally, or until they are tender when pierced with a fork.
Sprinkle the potatoes with the herbs and serve at once.
Ask the Cooks: Temper, Temper
Last spring, Peter J. Kelly gave excellent advice on breaking up chocolate. He mentioned chocolate "seizing" if it gets wet, and I think that's what happened when I tried making a fl ourless cake. I melted bittersweet chocolate and unsalted butter in a double boiler, stirring, then separated eggs, beating the yolks and whites separately. The recipe then says to "stir egg yolks into the chocolate mixture. Then fold in the whites." I dribbled the chocolate slowly into the yolks, whisking all the time, to warm them without "scrambling" them. That's when I got a grainy lump, unsuitable for use.
Marcia Anderson /// West Bridgewater
In a "flourless" chocolate cake, melted chocolate and butter are suspended in a blanket of air bubbles, whipped egg yolk, and sugar. When exposed to heat, the air expands, and a delicate mousselike texture results. Always keep the chocolate free of water, but also control the temperature of other ingredients. Allow the eggs to come to room temperature before separating. You'll get better volume from the beaten whites, and the moderate temperature of the yolks will be less of a shock to the molten chocolate. Let the chocolate rest away from the heat for five minutes before combining with other ingredients. When you combine the chocolate with the yolks, add half of the chocolate to the eggs and stir well. Then add the warmed-up yolk-chocolate mixture to the remaining chocolate. This tempering helps to equalize the temperatures.
This week's answer is by Peter J. Kelly, a chef-instructor at Johnson & Wales University. 