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Crispy potatoes deserve Green Goddess dressing

Recipe: Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with this delicious side dish

The cutest little new potatoes are destined to be paired with the herbs at left: parsley, chives and dill.

The cutest little new potatoes are destined to be paired with the herbs at left: parsley, chives and dill. Kathy Morrison

After so many grey days, I can't get enough green, indoors and outside. And since it's St. Patrick's Day -- and just two days until spring begins -- I thought it appropriate to bring green and potatoes together in a recipe appropriate for any spring dinner.

The potatoes are easy: boiled, then smashed and roasted. Use any waxy potato you like, because they can be cut in half or quarters to make the smashing easier. But the smallest new potatoes are a lot of fun -- the red, yellow and purple mix I used would be ideal for an Easter feast, for example.

Serving the smashed potatoes with Green Goddess dressing is what makes this recipe special. And here is where spring comes into play: Use the freshest, greenest herbs you can find, and preferably a mix of two or three, for a blend of flavors. A fresh lemon, too. Yogurt was my choice for the base of the dressing, but buttermilk, sour cream, crème fraîche or labneh also will work.

green-goddess-bowl.jpg
The dressing is bright green from all those herbs.

The dressing itself can go on or with plenty of spring dishes. I found it at epicurious.com paired with a very green salad (celery, avocado, salad greens, plus cooked chicken). I'm planning to serve it with grilled salmon later this week.

Crispy smashed potatoes with Green Goddess dressing

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the potatoes:

1-1/2 pounds new potatoes, preferably small, but at least all the same size

Salt and ground black pepper

2-1/2 tablespoons cooking oil that can handle high heat, such as safflower, grapeseed or canola, divided

For the dressing:

3 heaping cups fresh green herbs, including tender stems (parsley, chives, dill, basil, mint, tarragon, cilantro are all possibilities, or a mix)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup of one of these: plain whole milk yogurt, buttermilk, sour cream, crème fraîche or labneh

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon drained capers

1 to 3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 lemon

Instructions:

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Set out a large rimmed baking pan.

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and fill it with cold water at least 2 inches above the potatoes. Add a large pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil an cook the potatoes until very tender but not falling apart. The smallest ones in my mix were done at 15 minutes; the largest took nearly 25 minutes.

Drain the potatoes in a colander and let them rest there for 5 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, make the dressing.

In a blender or food processor, place the herbs, mayonnaise, yogurt (or chosen dairy product), capers, garlic and a large pinch of salt.

Grate the lemon zest into the mix, then cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice from one half into the ingredients. (Watch for seeds!) Reserve the other half for now.

potatoes-dressing-platter.jpg
Crisy smashed potatoes, ready to serve with
Green Goddess dressing.

Blend or process the dressing ingredients at high speed until the herbs are finely chopped and the dressing turns bright green. Taste and add some black pepper, and more salt and/or lemon juice as needed.

Scrape the dressing into a serving bowl or other container and chill until ready to serve.

Back to the potatoes: Brush 1 tablespoon of the high-heat-compatible oil on the surface of the baking pan. Arrange the potatoes evenly on the pan. If any are larger than a golf ball, cut them in half and place them on the pan cut side down. (Very large potatoes can be cut in quarters.)

Grease the bottom of a large drinking glass or a Mason jar with some of the remaining oil. Use it (regreasing as often as necessary) to smash the potatoes into flat more-or-less discs. There will be random pieces that come loose, and that's OK.

Brush the smashed potatoes with the last of the oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 25 minutes, flipping the potatoes over at the 20-minute mark to get the other side crispy, too.

Serve warm, passing the Green Goddess dressing at the table.

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Garden Checklist for week of Feb. 2

During this stormy week, let the rain soak in while making plans for all the things you’re going to plant soon:

* During rainy weather, turn off the sprinklers. After a good soaking from winter storms, lawns can go at least a week without sprinklers, according to irrigation experts. For an average California home, that week off from watering can save 800 gallons.

* February serves as a wake-up call to gardeners. This month, you can transplant or direct-seed several flowers, including snapdragon, candytuft, lilies, astilbe, larkspur, Shasta and painted daisies, stocks, bleeding heart and coral bells.

* In the vegetable garden, plant Jerusalem artichoke tubers, and strawberry and rhubarb roots.

* Transplant cabbage and its close cousins – broccoli, kale and Brussels sprouts – as well as lettuce (both loose leaf and head).

* Indoors, start peppers, tomatoes and eggplant from seed.

* Plant artichokes, asparagus and horseradish from root divisions.

* Plant potatoes from tubers and onions from sets (small bulbs). The onions will sprout quickly and can be used as green onions in March.

* From seed, plant beets, chard, lettuce, mustard, peas, radishes and turnips.

* Annuals are showing up in nurseries, but wait until the weather warms up a bit before planting. Instead, set out flowering perennials such as columbine and delphinium.

* Plant summer-flowering bulbs including cannas, calla lilies and gladiolus.

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