Sams Skordalia Food

SKORDALIA: GREEK GARLIC MASHED POTATO DIP

Steps:

• Place cubed potatoes in a big colander and rinse with cold water until the water is clear (see cook's tip #1). Transfer to a saucepan and add water to cover the potatoes by at least 2 inches. Salt the water well. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the potatoes are well cooked through (test by inserting a knife, it should break the potatoes with no resistance). Drain the potatoes in the same colander and rinse again, this time with hot water, for 30 seconds. Set the potatoes aside for 5 to 7 minutes to allow excess moisture to evaporate.
• While potatoes are cooling, combine almonds, garlic, large pinch of kosher salt, and lemon juice in the small bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade. Run processor until the garlic and almonds turn into a paste (as smooth as you can get it).
• Using a potato masher or a food mill (do not use food processor), mash the potatoes thoroughly.
• To the mashed potatoes, add about 1/2 of the olive oil, a little bit at a time, mixing well with a wooden spoon. Add the garlic and almond paste and mix well. Then add the remaining olive oil, again a little bit at a time, mixing well with your wooden spoon. Taste and add more kosher salt if needed. Mix well to combine. (At this point, if you're not serving the skordalia, you can let it cool then chill in the fridge until later).
• Transfer the mashed potato dip into a serving bowl or dish. Add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and top with chopped green onions, parsley and lemon zest. Serve at room temperature or chilled (if you had chilled it before adding garnish).

ROASTED PEPPER SKORDALIA

Steps:

• Broil 2 large red bell peppers, turning, until charred, 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover and let steam 20 minutes. Remove the skin, stems and seeds. Puree the peppers in a blender with 1/4 cup each blanched almonds and lemon juice and 6 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, cook 2 russet potatoes (peeled and cut into chunks) and 6 smashed garlic cloves in salted simmering water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until dry, 2 minutes; remove from the heat and mash. Fold in the pepper puree. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice and top with chives.

SKORDALIA (GREEK POTATO AND GARLIC DIP)

Steps:

• Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water by 2 inches and season generously with salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until very tender, about 30 minutes. Drain the potatoes and let cool slightly.
• Rub the skins off the potatoes and discard them. Coarsely chop the potatoes and puree them through a food mill or ricer into a medium bowl.
• Meanwhile, on a cutting board, lightly sprinkle the garlic with a generous pinch of the salt and smash it into a fine paste with the side of a cook's knife.
• In a food processor, combine the garlic, almonds, and oil and puree into a paste. Mix the oil mixture into the potatoes until incorporated; then mix in the 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon salt, water, lemon juice, and vinegar and season with pepper, to taste. Serve.

SKORDALIA

Steps:

• Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Season the water with salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until very tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the cooking water in the saucepan.
• To the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, add the almonds, garlic, oregano and 2 teaspoons salt. Process to a paste. With the machine running, add the lemon juice, vinegar and olive oil in a slow steady stream until very smooth. Add the drained potatoes and pulse to combine. Add 1 cup of the reserved potato cooking liquid. Pulse to bring together and then process until just smooth and light, adding more water if needed (the consistency should be similar to hummus). Taste and season with salt, if needed.
• Transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle with chili oil. Serve with vegetables and pita chips for dipping.
• Heat a grill pan or gas or charcoal grill over medium-high heat.
• In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and olive oil and heat until shimmering, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chives, dill, red pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine and cook for 1 to 2 more minutes until infused. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
• Liberally brush the pita breads with oil on both sides, allowing any excess to drip off. Place the oiled breads onto the hot grill to sear and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Brush the grilled pita breads with the herby butter and season with sumac and flaky salt, if desired. Cut into wedges and serve as dippers with the skordalia.

SKORDALIA

Steps:

• Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring slowly to a boil over medium heat. Cover partially, reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender all the way through when pierced with a skewer. Drain, return the potatoes to the pot, and cover tightly. Set aside for 5 minutes. Mash the potatoes through a potato ricer, a food mill, or in a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Do not use a food processor.
• Place the garlic in a mortar and pestle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and mash to a paste. Add the nuts and pound together (you can also do this in a food processor, but do not add the potatoes to the food processor). Stir the ground nuts and garlic into the potatoes. Gradually add the olive oil, stirring all the while with a fork or a pestle. Add the lemon juice or vinegar, and salt to taste. The mixture should be like loose mashed potatoes. Taste and adjust lemon juice, vinegar, and salt. Transfer to a bowl and chill until ready to serve. If the mixture stiffens up, thin out with a little olive oil or water.

SKORDALIA (GARLIC DIP)

Steps:

• Boil the potato in a small pot of salted water.
• Add the 2 cloves of garlic and sea salt to a blender or food processor, and pulse until it becomes a thick paste. Add more garlic if desired. Squeeze the water from the bread, and drain the potato, reserving some of the cooking water. Add the bread and potato to the garlic paste along with the almonds and half the lemon juice. Process until the mixture is well combined, but still slightly coarse in texture.
• While the processor is running, start to slowly pour the olive oil into the mixture. If it is too thick, add a spoonful of the reserved potato water and continue to add the oil. Once the mixture becomes lighter in color and thinner in texture, stop and taste your creation. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add a little of the remaining lemon juice. Taste again, and if you are lucky enough to have gotten it just right, put into a bowl or jar and reserve in the fridge for up to 1 week.
• If the skordalia seems unbalanced, use your taste buds to steer you in the right direction. If you want it more pungent, add more garlic. If the garlic flavor is overpowering, add a few drops of lemon juice. Season with more salt. Blend. Taste again. Repeat as many times as needed to get it where you want it. Skordalia needs to taste good to you, not to me.