Home fries salad

Home fries salad

In this ecipe, I turn home fries into a salad. I’ve served pan-fried seasoned potatoes, with salad leaves and chickpeas, generously finished with lemon juice. For ease of preparation, I like to use small starchy small potatoes for this recipe – they cook up fluffy and creamy inside, with a perfectly crisp exterior. However, any potatoes will work in this recipe. No peeling is required as the skin adds nice texture to the dish. If you’re using large potatoes, slice into 1-inch/2-3 cm chunks. Often potatoes will be par-boiled for home fries, but I skip this step and finish cooking the potatoes with a lid on, which allows the inside to cook all the way through.


Serves 4 - gluten free, vegan

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Ingredients

• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 to 2 tablespoons vegan or dairy butter (preferably salted)
• 1 yellow/brown onion, peeled and diced
• 700g (about 1 ½ pounds) small potatoes, washed, scrubbed and quartered
• sea salt and black pepper
• 1 large garlic clove, grated or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 lemon

Spiced sour cream

• 125g (½ cup) vegan/dairy sour cream
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 to ½ teaspoon cayenne or chilli powder
• sea salt

Salad

• 1 can chickpeas, drained (about 250g)
• 60g (2 ounces) salad leaves, spinach or arugula/rocket
• 2 scallions, finely sliced
• extra-virgin olive oil
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• sea salt and black pepper

1. Heat a large skillet/frying pan (I use a 28cm / 11-inch cast iron pan) on medium-high and drizzle in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onions, season with salt and black pepper and cook until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Remove the onions from the pan and set aside. Return the frypan to the stovetop.

2. Heat to medium-high heat again (if you pan is smaller, you may need to work in two batches). Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the potatoes, season with 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt and black pepper, and toss to combine. Arrange in a single layer (so every piece touches the hot surface of the pan) and cook for 8-10 minutes, tossing every 2 minutes, always making sure to arrange the potatoes onto one of the cut sides, until golden and crispy (if the potatoes start to burn too quickly, reduce heat to medium). The aim is to crisp up both cut sides of the potato.Toss the potatoes again, reduce heat to medium-low, cover with lid or large baking tray, and cook until the potatoes are crisp and completely tender, 3-5 minutes. If you have remaining potatoes, cook them now.

3. Place all the potatoes in the skillet, and heat on medium-low. Add the cooked onions, along with the garlic or garlic powder, smoked paprika, and oregano and toss for 1 minute, until combined, and then turn off the heat.

4. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper or chili powder and season well with sea salt.

5. To make the salad, put the chickpeas, salad leaves, and scallions in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, and squeeze over some of the lemon juice. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Taste and adjust oil, lemon and salt, as needed.

6. To a large serve platter or bowl, add the salad and top with the potatoes. Gently toss and then top with dollops of the spiced sour cream and squeeze over some lemon juice. Serve any remaining lemon on the side.  

7. This salad can be enjoyed while the potatoes are still warm and crispy, but can also be eaten at room temperature.