Potato salad with curly endive and homemade lemon aioli

I never tire of potato salads and although I make them mostly in the summer when potatoes are garden fresh, this year I am extending the season as the weather is not that bad. My friend Philly gave me a bag of organic potatoes the other day and I made good use of them, transforming some into a leek and potato soup and the rest into this delicious salad.

I usually steam potatoes rather than boil to keep them from getting waterlogged. When they are cooked through and cooled down you can peel them and cut into any size or shape that works for you for a salad. I mixed the salad with homemade aioli I quickly made and tossed the entire salad with wonderful crisp curly endive leaves, thinly sliced radishes, delicious marinated green olives and a bunch of micro greens from my outdoor pots. The endive leaves came from Vancouver’s Granville Island market. For some reason it is not easy to find them here in Kelowna. Ah, the trials and tribulations of being a foodie. I always need something that’s not readily available but seems that it should be. I think I’ll grow it next year.

For this particular salad I suggest you make your own aioli rather than use a store bought mayonnaise. The flavour is different and more special.

My gardener was here yesterday and cleaned up our rooftop garden for the season, cutting down everything and leaving only the vegetables and herbs that are still alive and well. I’ll have to use what I can and dry some herbs for the winter. I planted a lot of Swiss chard and have made a few interesting dishes with the colourful stems and green leaves. These may or may not make it to the blog, depending on how the images look.

 

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Ingredients:

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1 lb white or yellow skinned potatoes, unpeeled

1 recipe aioli (see below)

1 large radish, thinly sliced on a mandolin

1 small head curly endive (chicory)

A few green olives, marinated in oil, lemon and garlic

A handful of micro greens

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Directions:

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Wash the potatoes but do not peel. Place the potatoes in a steamer basket in a deep pot with water reaching to the bottom of the steamer basket and bring to a boil. Partially cover, lower hear to medium and cook until the potatoes are just tender and pierced with a knife. remove from the pot and let cool.

When they are cool enough to handle remove skin, cut the potatoes in half vertically and then into slices horizontally. Place in a bowl.

Make the aioli and drizzle as much as you need to cover the potatoes lightly with the dressing. Toss them gently with a wooden spoon to distribute the dressing.

Slice the radish thinly on a mandolin and add to the potatoes

Chop up the endive and add to the potatoes.

Transfer to a serving dish or individual serving dishes, scatter a few olives over and serve with additional aioli on the side.

I love eating this with a good baguette or another crusty white bread. Dunno why but that’s how I like it. Probably taste memories.

Aioli:

2 egg yolks

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon lemon juice

You can make this by hand with a whisk or in small food processor.

Whisk the yolks and mustard together in a bowl or the processor until combined.

Begin adding the oil by droplets at first, continuing to process (or whisk) to emulsify the dressing. You can increase to a slow, thin drizzle until you have used the entire oil.

Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste and whisk to combine.

The dressing should be thick, not runny.

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