Potatoes!

Yup...I harvested them all!  The foliage was looking pretty tired and I was anxious to see what was under all that soil!  I have been harvesting a few potatoes at a time as I've needed them, but last weekend I decided it was time to pull them all.  In addition to looking pretty beat, the worms/caterpillars/grasshoppers were having a feast to end all feasts.  Plus it is getting very hot.  It was time.

It was a lot of work, but totally worth all that digging.  I worked from one end of one row to the next and dug and pulled potatoes, dug and pulled potatoes, etc etc.  It was so exciting as I just kept finding potatoes under the dirt!  I'm not sure how many pounds of potatoes I harvested (from a planting of only 2 pounds), but I was very happy with the yield on this crop.  This was a new vegetable for me in my Texas garden and I wasn't disappointed.  Can't wait to plant sweet potatoes in the fall!

One of my favorite ways to use this delicious, nutritious vegetable is in a warm potato salad.  But mind you, this is NOT your mother's potato salad.  It's made with olive oil, fresh herbs, capers and tomatoes and lends itself to endless possibilities.  My daughter-in-law, who writes the fabulous blog, The GD Kitchen, gave me this recipe.  I hope you try it...it's really wonderful.


Katie's Potato Salad


1 pound baby red potatoes, halved
1 pint (2 cups) cherry tomatoes, halved
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup pitted black olives, halved
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large lemon, zested and juiced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Add the potatoes to a medium saucepan with enough cold water to cover by at least 2 inches.  Set the saucepan over medium heat.  Bring the water to a boil and continue cooking until potatoes are fork tender, about 6-10 minutes, don't overcook.

Drain the potatoes in a colander and allow to dry for 5 minutes.

In a serving bowl, mix tomatoes, scallions, olives, parsley, capers, thyme, olive oil and lemon zest.  Mix gently.  Add hot potatoes and toss till well blended.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Refrigerate for one hour and again, toss gently before serving.

This salad is great hot or at room temperature.  I like it best the next day.  I take it out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature for about an hour or so....delicous!

Thanks, Katie!

I'll post more recipes for potatoes as I discover them going forward.  I have a *lot* of potatoes to use this summer!