Thank you Chef Jamie Oliver.
I’m a longtime fan of potato salads napped with vinaigrette. But Oliver’s concoction is over-the-moon delicious, teaming crisp spuds with a topping of crunchy vegetables adrift in an oil-less vinegar “pickle” concoction. ‘Such a creative and appealing combination of tastes and textures, as well as contrasting temperatures.
It’s a whole new take on conventional potato salad.
My version of his recipe for roasted potatoes topped with “pickle salad” is adapted from his newest book, “Ultimate Veg” (Flatiron Books, $35). I use Melissa’s Baby Dutch Yellow potatoes, small yellow-skinned beauties with creamy white flesh and buttery flavor. They are blanched and then roasted, partially smushed to get them extra luscious.
(Oliver added unpeeled garlic to his ready-for-the-oven potatoes mix, but I decided that I liked it better without the garlic. Add 6 cloves of unpeeled “bashed” garlic if you like.)
Generous amounts of fresh herbs augment the tangy salad, adding to its perky appeal. I love the dish while the spuds are hot and the pickle is cold … but I also think it’s delicious at room temperature.
Roasted Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes and Pickle Salad
Yield: 6 generous servings
2 pounds Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 English cucumber
5 radishes, cut into thick slices
1/2 medium-sized red onion, halved top to bottom, thinly sliced crosswise
1 teaspoon grainy mustard
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1/2 bunch fresh dill
1/2 bunch fresh mint
1 1/2 ounces crumbled feta cheese (I like the feta that is augmented with Mediterranean herbs)
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cook potatoes in large pan of boiling salted water until just fork tender, about 10 to 13 minutes. Drain in colander; allow to rest in colander for 5 minutes for steam to release. Place potatoes in a single layer in a roasting pan (I use a 9 1/2-by-14 inch roasting pan). Toss with 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, grate lemon zest and place in small bowl. Finely chop rosemary leaves and add to bowl. Stir in flour. When potatoes come out of oven after 20 minutes, sprinkle zest mixture from a height onto potatoes. Toss. Gingerly squash potatoes to flatten slightly. (I found it easiest to use a meat pounder, using a light touch.) Sprinkle with a smidgen of olive oil, about 1 to 2 teaspoons. Roast an additional 20 minutes or until golden and crisp.
3. Meanwhile, scratch the outside of the cucumber with a fork to create lengthwise grooves, then cut into thin rounds. In a large bowl, combine mustard, vinegar, and juice from half the lemon. Add salt and pepper to taste. Whisk to combine. Add cucumber, radishes, and onion. Add herbs (picked from stems) and toss. Place mixture down the middle portion of the potatoes. Top with crumbled feta cheese.
Source: adapted from “Ultimate Veg” by Jamie Oliver
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