Summer has arrived when I can pull the first beets. Usually this is earlier than June 30! In fact, many things are dribbling in– the broccoli, the snow peas, and the garlic scapes!
If you read this blog, you know that the 4th of July is given over to our parish festival. My husband runs the Joeburger Stand and there is not much relaxation or entertaining going on between July 1-5, unless you count entertaining the thousands of folks who attend the concert, festival and parade.
However, one of Steve’s daughters visited from New York this weekend, and his parents were up for his mother’s 60th college reunion as well. So Saturday night we had the farm folks over for a picnic.
In addition to cheddar brats from the St. Joseph Meat Market, I made a garden salad with green goddess dressing with garlic scapes, grilled potatoes with mustard aioli and herbs, and, for dessert, strawberry parfaits.
Actually, the parfaits made good use of a failed jam-making. I went and picked too many strawberries on Wednesday, so that evening I made strawberry-rhubarb jam. Well, I seriously pushed the boundaries of how much you can lower the sugar and how much extra fruit you can add and one box of pectin was a year old… in the end the 12 jars didn’t properly set. So on Saturday I poured one pint into a large container of vanilla yogurt– wow is that good.
The parfaits are just layered strawberry shortcake: yogurt with sliced strawberries, angel-food cake, strawberries, ice cream (you could use whipped cream instead, but I’m not a fan).
I’ve become a real fan of simply roasted potatoes with some kind of dressing or marinade, and this is a slight twist. You cook the potatoes first, then finish them on the grill after coating them in the marinade. They were so delicious!! I will be doing this a lot in the future. Recipe (adapted from Bobby Flay on epicurious) below:
Mustard Aioli Grilled Potatoes with Herbs
1 cup mayonnaise
3 garlic cloves, smashed to a paste
2 heaping tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 heaping tablespoons whole grain mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 pounds baby white or red potatoes, scrubbed
4 tablespoons finely chopped herbs (parsley, chives, thyme, rosemary, tarragon, or whatever you like)
1. Whisk together the mayonnaise, garlic, and both mustards in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper. Cover the aioli and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day. (Note: this is a double recipe. Put half in a bowl with the meal– people will put it on burgers, brats, and add some to the potatoes.)
2. Boil the potatoes until a skewer inserted into the center of a potato meets some resistance, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well and let cool slightly. (I actually made the aioli and boiled the potatoes in the morning and then could put them on the grill with the brats.)
3. Heat your grill to medium for direct grilling.
4. Cut potatoes in half or chunks and toss in a large bowl with the aioli, and season with salt. Grill until golden brown on all sides, about 8 minutes.
5. Transfer the potatoes to a platter, sprinkle with the fresh herbs, and season with salt and pepper.