Crushed Baby Potatoes with Scallion, Celery, and Lots of Dill

Ah, yes, potato salad. A heralded classic of American cuisine. And yet (and yet) I’ve never liked it. Maybe it’s the cold blocks of potato, or the heavy globs of mayonnaise. Or perhaps, it’s the typical lack of noteworthy flavor. It could be the way it sits in its tub, begging the question: how long have you been sitting there, bud? 

Enter Alison Roman. As usual, she’s decided to shake things up with a new spin on potato salad. Or dare I say, an entirely superior way to make potato salad. In this recipe, you’ll see no mayonnaise, crushed potatoes, tons of fresh herbs, and bold, distinct flavor. You may never want a different potato salad again. 

First step is to boil the potatoes. No, we’re not looking for red skinned potatoes, but rather golden ones that are no larger than a golf ball. (Sure, you can use red-skinned potatoes, but don’t. Those are more mealy and less visually appealing, IMO.) The potatoes only take 15 or so minutes to boil until they’re completely tender. Before smashing them with my palm, I let them cool almost completely, and in the meantime, prepared the rest of the ingredients. 

The bulk of the flavor comes from olive oil, #lotsofdill, lemon zest and juice, finely chopped scallions (white and green parts), and anchovies. These ingredients are combined and tossed with the boiled, crushed potatoes along with finely sliced celery stalks. Finally, the salad is topped with chopped celery leaves, parsley, and dashes of salt and pepper, for good measure. 

I made this salad at home before transporting it to my in-law’s home for dinner. The potatoes spent an extra hour in the dressing, which gave them a chance to become better acquainted with the herbs and lemon juice. This dish was a complete hit between the four of us, and I have a hard time imagining anyone who wouldn’t like it. Which means this can and should be brought instead of that store-bought tub of potato salad you normally bring to potlucks. I can guarantee you won’t have leftovers, and you’ll receive way more complements. Plus, Alison says this salad can be made up to 2 days ahead, so you have no excuses.

110 recipes cooked, 115 to go.

isn’t she lovely

Roasted Broccolini and Lemon with Crispy Parmesan by Alison Roman

There are recipes I feel jazzed to write about. There are recipes about which I have not much to say. This is one of the latter. 

I didn’t begin to love vegetables as an adult until I learned how to oven roast them. I learned the vegetable to oil and salt ratio, a general oven temperature range, a sense for how to time it, and I haven’t looked back. Here is a great example of one vegetable to roast and how to pair it with other flavors. Broccolini roasted with lemon and some parmesan that gets all crispy. Everything you need to know is in the title.

My pal Margaret, who I reference often, encouraged me to keep it real here. I think I’ve done that thus far, but it’s a post like this that tempts me to embellish more than is necessary. So for brevity and clarity sake, I’ll bring this to a close. If you like roasted broccolini, and you think pairing it with lemon or parmesan sounds nice, then you my friend, should make some. 

44 recipes cooked, 181 to go.

Frizzled Chickpeas with Onions and Feta by Alison Roman

They’re not sizzled. They’re not fried. They’re frizzled. And they’re delicious. 

There are so many recipes for crispy chickpeas in the world. Even Alison has more than one. Most of them use oven roasting as the crisping method. A few use the pan fry. But Alison has declared, with reasonable assurance, that the way to cook chickpeas is the frizzle. (And all the Magic School Bus fans say, AMEN.) A cooking method of frying chickpeas in sizzling oil. 

The best feature of this dish--the crispiness of the chickpeas-- is only rivaled by the crispiness of the sliced red onion. Who doesn’t love crispy onions? 

The process is straightforward. A half cup of olive oil (yes, you need that much) is heated over medium-hight in a large skillet. First the onions and garlic get sizzly and soft, before the sprigs of fresh herbs, red pepper flakes, and two cans of chickpeas join the party. The frizzle method still takes a bit of time. I probably left them on the skillet for at least 15 minutes, shaking frequently so they didn’t burn. The final touch is my favorite dairy topping, feta cheese. 

I’ve made this dish twice now, once with Alison’s One-Pot Chicken with Lemon and Dates and the other time with Alison’s Skillet Chicken with Olives and Sumac. It’s a reliable side that would go well with pretty much anything. And I usually have the ingredients on hand, so it’s an easy fix if I need one more piece to a meal. I also think it would make a lovely snack.

38 recipes cooked, 187 to go.

Raw and Roasted Carrots and Fennel with Feta and Pistachios by Alison Roman

I’m not the kind of person who can casually snack on carrots without a dip. Something about a mouthful of raw carrot makes me contemplate gagging. I have to actively fight that reflux, and search for a glass of water

I don’t remember when I first had a roasted carrot, but I know it was a game changing experience. I’ve been known to roast a whole bag of carrots for lunch and eat any leftovers for dinner. Something about the softened, charred texture of a roasted carrot, with oily spices soaked into the carrot’s flesh. Sometimes I sprinkle crumbled feta cheese over them, or some lime juice. 

The genius of this admittedly simple recipe is carrots in TWO ways. Roasted, warm, tender carrots with ribbons of their raw selves - fresh and crunchy. Feta, cilantro, and lemon juice tie this all together. Oh, and scallions two ways, too. Some raw and sliced, and a few roasted with the carrots. It’s really that uncomplicated. 

The recipe calls for a fennel bulb to be roasted along with the carrots. I planned to do this, but when I reached for my fennel, I found that it had gone rancid. So I skipped the fennel, and actually didn’t miss it. Pistachios are also called for here, but I didn’t feel like shelling out for more nuts when I already have lots of perfectly good pepitas on hand. I toasted about a quarter cup of pepitas in a skillet to top this dish. It added just enough nutty crunch to contrast the brighter crunch of the raw carrots.  

This dish will go well with most anything, and it’s season agnostic. So go on, get yourself a bag of carrots and eat them two ways!

35 recipes cooked, 190 to go.

Wine-Roasted Artichokes by Alison Roman

I wasn’t planning on making this recipe until the summer. Artichokes always struck me as a summer food. I just couldn’t pass up $3.99 for four artichokes. Entirely an impulse buy. 

The artichokes sat in my fridge for a while till I could figure out what to do with them. I knew I couldn’t just fix them up in a flurry. Artichokes are complicated, and they appreciate having some get-to-know-you time first, before getting down to business. I needed to dedicate time and space to build their trust. I finally made time last Saturday to learn how to prepare an artichoke. 

There’s a lot involved: stem trimming, peeling back layers of leaves, chopping off the top of the globe, snipping thorns, and scraping out the fuzzy center just above the heart. I can’t be certain I did it all correctly, but I had a lot of fun trying. 

The artichokes are cut in half lengthwise and placed cut-side down in a deep roasting pan. With them goes 1 cup of water and 1 cup of white wine, olive oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, smashed garlic, and butter. Sounds like a winning combination because it is one. 

After some research, I understand that stovetop steaming is the typical way to cook artichokes. Artichokes are tough and do need time to soften, which is why Alison’s oven-roasting method spends the first 40-50 minutes with a tight layer of tin foil on top of the pan. This mimics a good steam, allowing the globes to become properly tender. Then the foil is removed for the last 15-20 minutes to give the outer layers time to get slightly crispy and let the water and wine evaporate. 

The few times I’ve eaten an artichoke at a restaurant, they were always served with a dipping sauce, usually garlic butter. A great route to take here, no doubt, but I was in the mood for something tangier. Alison has a recipe for Lemon Aioli as part of her Shrimp Cocktail section, so I decided to go for two firsts in one day. My first aioli endeavor ensued. I’ll write more about it when I get to shrimp cocktails, but for now, my primary takeaways from the experience are: 1. Be prepared for a very sore forearm, and 2. Without patience, you cannot have aioli. 

Jordan took an hour break from work (it was a Saturday) so we could have a Wine & Artichoke Hour. We sat in our living room and sipped Cabernet while dipping the buttery leaves in aioli. It was so delightful that we talked about making it a more regular weekend activity. Sometimes it’s nice to eat something decadent in the middle of the afternoon instead of waiting until meal time. It can make 3:00pm feel less pedestrian, more special. Not all days can have special 3:00pm’s, but more of them should. 

27 recipes cooked, 198 to go.