I do so love picnics, and this was a lovely day for one. We found a nice shaded spot far away enough from the trail to be reasonably civilized. Just wish those concrete picnic tables were more comfortable for napping afterward.
Roasted potato salad with sour cream and shallots
Adapted from Saveur. Note that you'll want to make this shortly before serving. I finished right before we lit out for our picnic.
Ingredients
2 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes, quartered or cut into eighth depending on size (you're looking for bite-size pieces)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Method
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet. Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, some coarse salt and pepper. Roast until golden and tender, stirring about half way through, 25-35 minutes depending on your oven (I did 25 minutes on convection setting). Let cool slightly.
Meanwhile in remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil sprinkled with some salt, cook shallots over low heat until softened. Add garlic and cook another minute or two. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix sour cream, mustard and vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix well. Toss with slightly cooled potatoes. Mix in fresh parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.
Rating: I liked roasted potatoes, and I like nearly all potato salads, and this is the logical outcome of blending the two. Nicely deepened flavors on the potatoes, and the sour cream dressing works. Might be interesting to try it with an different herb such as dill or tarragon. Very easy to fix and viable repeater. Very nice change of pace from those cubes drenched in yellowy cream sauce found in tubs in some grocery stores. Serves maybe 4ish.
Cucumber salad with red onion and cilantro
Inspired by a couple of recipes, including this one from Laylita.com, which I was congratulating myself on still being able to read it all these years past college Spanish, and this one from thefoodcharlatan.com.
Ingredients
3 small cucumbers, very thinly sliced (mandolin thin)
½ small onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
¼ teaspoon cumin
Method
Combine cucumbers and onion in a bowl. Combine olive oil, lime juice, cilantro and cumin in a small bowl. Mix well and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss with cucumber mixture and chill unless serving immediately.
Rating: Refreshing counterpoint to the creamy potato salad. Comes together very quickly, and it's a good picnic candidate since the ingredients won't spoil quickly. Probably serves about 3.
Dilly beans
Adapted from "Put 'Em Up," by Sherri Brooks Vinton
Ingredients
1 pound green beans, ends snapped
2 garlic cloves, sliced
3 tablespoons dill weed
½ tablespoon dill seed
12 black peppercorns
1 cup white vinegar
½ cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
½ tablespoon salt
Method
Blanch beans for 1 minute in boiling water. Put in an ice bath to stop cooking or else stash them temporarily the freezer. Drain well. Pack beans vertically into two pint canning jars. Divide garlic, dill weed and seed and peppercorns among the jars.
Heat vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour over beans and top with canning lids. Let cool to room temperature and refrigerate until ready to use.
Note: In the original recipe you skip the blanching, use hot sterilized jars and process the sealed jars in a hot water bath. I've modified some of the ingredients from the original, so don't try to make it and process it in a water bath, since the proportions have been altered and it's always best to do any actual canning with a recipe exactly as written since it's been tested for food safety. Since I just had a small amount of beans left on hand (not the 4 pounds the original recipe called for), I was just opting for a quick refrigerator pickling route.
Rating: A good use of green beans when you've got a lot to use up and want to make something that will keep for a bit. A nice spot of crunch. Satisfies the all-important pickle/relish component on the picnic plate.
We rounded out the meal with some fresh berries. Still need that nap.
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