Italicious

Potato salad is such a typical summertime dish for a barbeque, but I had all of this dill in the house and didn’t want it to go to waste. Since I don’t know many recipes that use dill, the only thing that came to mind was the potato salad that I grew up with. I thought that it was a Jewish recipe that my mother had gotten from my Oma, but in my search for this recipe (without calling the mom) I found it in the Joy of Cooking, as Tzatziki potato salad, not terribly Jewish, nor Dutch. 

Despite its origin, it is still tastes like childhood and is much healthier than the mayonnaise drowned recipe that I had expected to find. My husband and I accompanied this with a big salad and a french baguette, you don’t need a barbeque as an excuse to eat potato salad. 

Tzatziki Potato Salad from the Joy of Cooking

• 2 cups plain yogurt
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced
• 2 lbs red potatoes
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp finely snipped fresh dill
• 1 tbsp fresh mint
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• ground black pepper to taste

Set a fine mesh sieve or a colander lined with cheese cloth (or a thin dishcloth like I used) over a bowl or in the sink. Add the yogurt and let it drain at room temperature for at least 2 hours or, covered, in the fridge for up to 24 hours. 

In the meantime, toss the diced cucumber and 1 tsp of the salt in a colander set over a bowl and let it drain at room temperature for at least an hour or, covered, in the fridge for up to 24 hours. 

Squeeze the cucumber in a dish towel to remove as much liquid as possible, then dry completely on paper towels. Combine the yogurt and cucumber in a large bowl with the olive oil, dill, mint, red wine vinegar and ground black pepper. 

Mash the garlic and the ½ tsp of salt together until they form a pasta and stir into the yogurt mixture. Let it stand for 1 hour or refrigerate, covered, for up to 24 hours.

Meanwhile bring the potatoes to a boil in a large pot with enough salted cold water to cover them. Reduce the heat to a simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain, peel if desired and cut into bite sized pieces.

When the potatoes are still a little room, but not hot, toss them with the Tzatziki to coat evenly. Serve chilled or at room temperature. 

~ by italicious on March 15, 2009.

Posted in contorni, dill, gluten free, mint, vegetarian, yogurt