Despite the less-than-desirable weather we have been having, I have been getting into summer cooking mode. What that means for me is somewhat simpler meals that generally consist of a grilled item, a salad and a starchy side like corn or potatoes.
Just because I say the meal is simple, though, doesn’t always mean the sauces and preparation for the dishes don’t take some time and thought.
For my first big summer barbecue, fittingly held on Memorial Day, I wanted to make a more special version of a barbecue style dinner. I started by first making a homemade barbecue sauce. This is my new favorite thing to do, by the way.
I didn’t have a recipe I wanted to follow so I played around with some ingredients I had on hand. Basically, the sauce had caramelized shallot, organic ketchup, apple cider vinegar, curry powder and some chili powder, all cooked down with a little honey added, too. It was delicious. I thought about giving you guys the recipe but, as usual, I didn’t really measure. You could easily try to remake it to your desired proportions. It was really flavorful.
I served it with a corn and asparagus salad and a warm potato salad. They were all great together, but the potatoes were certainly a star so I thought I would share that recipe for that dish this week.
I learned recently that many studies indicate you aren’t supposed to heat olive oil over about 350 F. Whoops, I have always used olive oil to roast things like this in the past. This is a complicated subject, and I won’t try to get into the conflicting science of it here, but you can look it up if you are interested. I am going with better safe than sorry, and so I bought a big jar of avocado oil that I now use when I cook at a higher temperature. Avocado oil has very little, to no, flavor, and can be used at very high temperatures without the oil smoking so it is a perfect choice for a dish like this.
This dish is meant to be served warm, so plan accordingly and have it almost ready right before you want to serve the rest of dinner. While you can reheat it, the jalapenos will taste fresher and be a prettier color green if you serve it right after preparing. If you don’t like much spice, remove the seeds from the jalapeno. I used all the seeds and still didn’t think it was very spicy so feel free to adjust the amount of jalapeno if you really want a kick.
You can make everything for this dish ahead and warm the potatoes just before tossing in the dressing to serve if you like. These potatoes are unique, with the mustard sauce and the way they are smashed. They would stand up well against almost any grilled meat and go well with corn and/or salad. My guest loved them. Hope you and yours enjoy too.
Slightly Smashed Spicy Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 pounds fingerling potatoes, halved crosswise if large
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced into rounds, seeds removed if desired
- 1/4 cup (lightly packed) torn basil leaves
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 F.
- Toss potatoes with the avocado oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper.
- Roast, tossing a few times, until golden brown and tender, (about 30–40 minutes).
- Let cool slightly, then press on each potato with a wooden spoon until the skin cracks and the potato looks slightly smashed but still intact.
- Meanwhile, whisk vinegar and mustard in a large bowl.
- Gradually whisk in remaining ¼ cup oil until emulsified and season with salt and pepper.
- Add potatoes, jalapeño, and basil and toss.
- Season again with salt and pepper as necessary.
