BBQ’d New Potatoes

by Liz Child

This is my simple and adaptable method for BBQing our gorgeous new potatoes! I have fond memories of pricking large jacket potatoes, wrapping them in foil and packing them in with the food for camping trips. Then we would carefully tuck them into the BBQ coals to bake while the rest of the grilling was done, they’d often come out perfect if we remembered to turn them occasionally, but more often than not, half the potato would burn and half would be raw, or the coals would burn out before the potato was done and there’d be some disappointment… So this way of par-boiling, dressing then skewering little salad potatoes provides a much more consistent result.

Start by boiling scrubbed new potatoes until they are nearly cooked through. Test a few larger ones with a sharp knife or skewer. Then drain the potatoes and allow them to cool in the colander while you prepare a tasty marinade or dressing!

I love potatoes with garlic and herbs. This time I mixed olive oil, salt, pepper, crushed garlic, rosemary and lemon zest in a large bowl. Then toss the par cooked new potatoes in the dressing.

Push the potatoes on skewers (or cook in a BBQ basket) and get them onto a plate or tray ready to pop over the coals.

Cook on the BBQ, turning often until soft, smokey and delicious!

Then push them off the skewers, back into the dressing bowl and toss again to get any last bits of dressing and flavour back over the delicious, charred potatoes. Enjoy!

Potatoes & Peas with Mint Salsa Verde

by Liz Child

How about a potato salad with fresher flavours? A tangy, herby salsa verde made with mint and capers pairs perfectly with peas and buttery new potatoes. If you don’t have peas in the freezer, switch them with any fresh greens you like. We particularly love this salad with thinly sliced raw courgette in place of the peas or chopped and steamed French beans or broccoli. Anyway you make it, it’s a brilliant bowl to bring along to a BBQ.

Liz x

Ingredients

  • 12 new potatoes
  • 150g cooked peas (or this is lovely with thinly sliced raw courgette or chopped and steamed French beans or broccoli too!)
  • 25g fresh mint leaves
  • 3 tbsp capers
  • 1 garlic clove
  • the juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
some alternative greens which would work in place of the peas

Method

  1. Halve and boil the new potatoes until tender, then drain and cool while you make the salsa verde.
  2. Put the mint, garlic, capers, lemon juice and olive oil into a blender.
  3. Blend into a loose sauce then taste – add more lemon, olive oil or capers to taste. You shouldn’t need to add salt, the capers are plenty salty enough.
  4. Put the cooked and cooled potatoes into a bowl with the peas (or broccoli, French beans or courgette slices) and drizzle over half the salsa verde and toss to combine.
  5. Add more salsa verde or keep left overs in a jar in the fridge and use within a week. It’s great over salads & roasted vegetables, spread into a wrap or stirred through a summery soup or stew.

Russian-Style Potato Salad

by Liz Child

If you like a classic potato salad with mayonnaise, you’ll love this one. The added extras like tangy sauerkraut and pickles and earthy-sweet carrots and beetroot make it a step up from the norm. What’s a barbecue or buffet without a bowl of potato salad? Try this one with our fresh-from-the-fields new potatoes, carrots and beetroots. You could even make your own vegan mayo, fermented cucumbers and sauerkraut using our farm produce and groceries too if you like! Otherwise we stock mayonnaise, pickles and sauerkraut in our grocery section.

Liz x

Ingredients

  • 12 new potatoes
  • 1 beetroot
  • 2 carrots
  • 3 tbsp aioli/mayonaise
  • 2 tbsp sauerkraut
  • 4 tbsp chopped fermented/pickled cucumbers 
  • large handful of dill/fennel fronds (or chopped chives)

Method

  1. Halve the new potatoes and dice the carrots, then boil together until tender. Drain them and allow to cool.
  2. Boil the beetroot in its skin in a separate pan until tender. This takes around 30 minutes. Then run the beetroot under cold water and rub the skin off and dice into 1 cm pieces.
  3. Dice the fermented/pickled cucumbers.
  4. Chop the dill or fennel fronds.
  5. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
  6. Gently stir the ingredients together then taste and add salt or pepper if needed.