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When I think about farmers-market or CSA produce, what usually comes to mind are veggies like choi, chard, turnips and carrots, perhaps greens of various types. Over time, however, the veggie that I often look forward to getting fresh and local the most is the simple potato. Ah, the glorious, simple potato.
Of course, there’s actually nothing that simple about them. The potatoes at the grocery store? Yeah, those are simple. There are about four different kinds. They’re all about the same size and shape, and you can pretty much count on the same, simple flavor every time you pick the same type of potato. I think it’s hilarious how the red potatoes I buy (I love the red-skinned pots) are always somewhat flattened, with straight and even edges where they were obviously pressed together for transport, probably from somewhere far, far away.
But our crazy, funky farm potatoes are anything but standard, as you can see. They’re oddly shaped, certainly, and unlike the basic-four grocery varieties, I have no idea what type they are for the most part. (Did you know there are more than 1,000 different types of potato? Crazy.) They’re also incredibly tender and incredibly flavorful. Whereas grocery potatoes are often a bland, blank slate onto which you paint flavor, these potatoes take center stage all on their own in almost any recipe.
Recently, however, I especially enjoyed:
This is not your average potluck potato salad — not that I don’t love me some old-fashioned potluck potato salad with creamy dressing, pickles and hard-boiled eggs. It’s a deceptively simple recipe with only seven ingredients (including salt and olive oil). Those ingredients, though, include sauteed leeks and brown mustard seeds, which pack a delicious and sophisticated punch. Yum. I really enjoyed this salad, especially paired with cucumber salad and:
Grilled Pork Chops with Garlic Lime Sauce
We’ve made these chops quite a few times, and they are so spectacular, despite their simplicity. In fact, you grill the chops with only salt and pepper, then cover them in the sauce afterward, just before serving. Any earlier and the acid in the lime juice makes the pork tough instead of tender.
What a meal, what a meal.
After last week chock full of zucchini fail, it was a much-needed dose of delicious.
