Not every piece of produce that I collect from our CSA can be put to a new, novel use. It’s tempting to attempt, I can say from experience, to look up a brand-new recipe for radishes, a certain type of beans, heirloom tomatoes or whatever fun thing you find at the market. I have found, however, that approach is not always best for a few reasons. No. 1, new recipes can often be bad recipes. Bombs, non-tasty — and your pretty beans or tomatoes are wasted. No. 2, this is the summer of simplicity. I can’t and don’t necessarily want to spend my time searching for untried, interesting dishes when I have tons of good ones already up my sleeve, recipes that have uses for specialty produce or in which novel vegetables can be used. For example:

Potato-Crusted Sausage, Leek and Spinach Quiche

Initially, the quiche looked like this. Pretty enough. Notice the crust of white potatoes.

But what I had on hand were these potatoes:

Purple potatoes.

Last year when I found myself with purple potatoes, I made a Pesto Potato Salad with Green Beans, but why not make a quiche crust, I ask you?

Why not, indeed. I made excellent use of my CSA potatoes, used little brain power planning, and created two light meals for two people. A purple success, in my opinion.

Take risks with your cooking. Have fun with it. Trust yourself and your instincts. Remember: Sometimes a fancy recipe from a so-called professional cannot compare with what you can make with a little confidence and a little creativity.

Related Recipes

• Potato Crusted Sausage, Leek and Spinach Quiche