09 May 2010

Sunday Savories: Patatosalata

Apparently, with the coming of spring, all I want to do is make Greek-style foods. This one was taught to me by Maria, the woman who owned the cafe I worked at for a year in the UK, Cafe 306. Maria was a crazy, nosy Greek lady who INSISTED (loudly, shouting, in fact) that I call my parents on the day of the London Underground bombings in 2005. Even though I was in Manchester, Maria insisted, saying: "Your family is American. To them, it's all the same."

And, much like when she pushed veg on our customers, she was right. It's why Maria was allowed to be pushy with everyone - she was pretty much always right.

Maria's Patatosalata
Ingredients:
8-10 red or yellow waxy potatoes
3/4-1 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup of lemon juice
3 cloves of garlic, crushed (I do more like 5)
Roughly chopped fresh basil to taste
sea salt

Directions
Scrub the potatoes, but leave the skins on. Boil them in hot water for approximately 10-15 minutes - you want them done, but still pretty firm. Pour cold water over them until they are cool, then chill them. Ideally, chill for at least an hour (this keeps the skins on).

While the potatoes are cooling, roughly chop as much basil as you like - I usually do quite a bit.

To make the dressing, in a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper with a whisk.

Chop the potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Toss with the dressing and cool for another 15 minutes, minimum. Best if left for another hour.

This is the most refreshing, light, delicious, easy potato salad I've ever made and it's a staple for our summer foods.

2 comments:

  1. "Your family is American. To them, it's all the same."

    My parents called me before I could call them. I'm sorry to say it, but I think Maria's right about this too :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh man, Maria's right about everything. You just get used to it. She's also right that grown-ass adults (who were our CUSTOMERS) would never dare be offended that she yelled at them to eat more veg. They meekly took the veg and ate it. Because Maria's right.

    ReplyDelete