Warm new potato salad with fried onions, garlic, chives, parsley and blue cheese

Warm new potato salad with fried onions, garlic, chives, parsley and blue cheese

Spring

Freshly dug, freshly boiled, buttered new potatoes are among the most delightful things we can hope to eat in early summer. I’m not sure anything else quite equals them. The real trick is to cook them as soon after lifting as possible. That’s more about time than distance, though buying local certainly helps. Very fresh potatoes cook quickly and have a sweetness and tenderness that older ones simply don’t. Look for thin skinned, earth covered potatoes, as a little soil helps keep them moist and fresh. When you get them home just give them a gentle scrub or scrape to remove any loose skin and dirt. There’s no need to peel them as much of the flavour sits just beneath the skin. Cook them in generously salted water and serve them warm with plenty of butter, olive oil and pepper, or turn them into something more substantial like this simple warm salad.

Serves 2 - 3

Ingredients

  • 750g new potatoes, well scrubbed
  • 2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced from tip to root
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 large handful flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
  • 1 small bunch chives, finely cut
  • 150g soft blue cheese
  • A couple of handfuls delicate salad leaves
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 knob butter

For the dressing

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp cider vinegar

Method

First make the dressing. Put all the ingredients into a small bowl or jug, season with salt and pepper and whisk vigorously to combine. Set aside while you prepare the salad.

Scrub the potatoes to remove any loose earth and skin. Cut them into generous bite sized chunks if large, otherwise leave them whole. Place them in a large pan of well salted water.

Set the pan over a high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce to a steady simmer and cook the potatoes until tender. Drain well and allow them to steam dry for a few minutes.

Place a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the olive oil and butter and when it begins to foam scatter in the sliced onions and garlic. Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook gently for 15–20 minutes until the onions are soft, sweet and beginning to caramelise around the edges.

Add the warm potatoes to the pan with the onions. Scatter over the parsley and chives and spoon over about half the dressing. Turn everything together gently so the potatoes pick up the sweet onions and herbs.

Tip the potatoes onto a large serving platter and crumble the blue cheese over the top. Lightly dress the salad leaves with the remaining dressing and scatter them over the warm potatoes.

Serve straight away.

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