No. 1 : Quick Recipe
Smashed Potato Salad with Manchego Vinaigrette
- About 2 – 3 LBs Baby Potatoes
- ¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil + 2 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
- Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
- 1 Cup Grated Manchego Cheese
- 1 Tsp Smoked Paprika
- 4 Anchovies, drained and minced (freeze the rest of the tin!)
- 2 – 3 TB Sherry Vinegar
- 6 – 8 Cups Arugula
- ½ Cup Chopped Parsley
Step One
Preheat the oven to 425F. Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water for about 15 minutes, or until crisp tender. Drain and leave them in the pot for about 5 minutes to dry out.
Step Two
Remove the potatoes from the pot and place on a sheet tray. Using a potato masher (or the heel of your “impeccable clean or gloved hand”) to squash the potatoes. Set aside until they are completely cool. (Can be done the day before and refrigerated.)
Step Three
Spray a sheet pan with olive oil and then add the potatoes, season with salt and pepper and spray or drizzle with the 2 TB olive oil. Slide into the preheated oven until they are crispy and browned – 30 to 45 minutes.
Step Four
Make the dressing while the potatoes are roasting. Add the cheese, ¼ Cup oil, paprika, anchovies and sherry vinegar to a jar and shake well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place the roasted potatoes on the arugula and drizzle with the dressing. Garnish with parsley.
No. 2 : Kitchen Scoop
Real Manchego cheese is only from sheep that are raised in the La Mancha region of Spain. Aged for a minimum of 60 days and pressed into a cylindrical mold that gives it the unique shape, the brown color of the rind comes from its long maturation process.
No. 3 : Get Creative
Anchovies are a dividing ingredient – you like them or DON’T! Although you will never actually taste them in this dressing – you can actually substitute 3 TBs mashed Kalamata olives for a tin of anchovies – so for this recipe you would use 1½ TBs mashed olives.
No. 4 : Wine FIND of the Week
Mar De Frades Albarino
Val do Salnés, Galicia Spain
About $20
Albarino Atlantico is what Mar De Frades calls the style of this wine and their distinctive tall blue bottles. From the NW corner of Spain, its an incredibly peachy and refreshing wine to pair with the rich taste of Manchego cheese in the dressing for this week’s recipe. Albarino (“alba-reen-yo”) is known for its dry taste, light to medium body and medium to high acidity and no tannin. Ceviche and sushi are great partners for this wine, as well as semi-firm cheeses. Grilled veggies rock with Albarino, too.