Crushed Baby Potatoes With Sardines, Celery, and Dill

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Boiled potatoes are great to keep on hand for out-of-hand snacking and as a quick addition to things like a skillet full of chicken fat or a midday lunch salad, but also excellent as a foil for rich, fatty, tinned fish. In this recipe from “Nothing Fancy” (Clarkson Potter, 2019), the potatoes are crushed because it allows the chunkiness (which lends texture) to coexist with the more broken-up pieces (which lends creaminess). Plus, those exposed craggy edges are here for maximum lemony, scalliony, salty dressing absorption.

YIELD — 4 to 6 servings

TIME — 30 minutes

 

Ingredients

  • 1 pound potatoes, preferably small, waxy potatoes, such as golden creamer or fingerling

  • Kosher salt

  • ⅓ cup olive oil

  • ¼ cup finely chopped fresh dill or parsley, plus more for garnish

  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or white wine vinegar, plus more to taste

  • 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

  • 4 scallions or spring onions, white and green parts, or 1 bunch chives, thinly sliced

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 4 celery stalks, thinly sliced on a bias

  • 1 cup celery leaves or tender leaves and stems of fresh parsley

  • 1 (4-ounce) tin sardines, (2-ounce) tin anchovy fillets or other fish, torn or cut into bite-size pieces

Directions

  1. Boil the potatoes in salted water until they’re completely tender, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on size of the potato. Drain and let sit about 10 minutes or so, until they’re cool enough to crush with your hands or another implement.

  2. Meanwhile, combine the olive oil, 1/4 cup dill, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, lemon zest and half the scallions in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper and more lemon juice to taste, as needed.

  3. Scatter the potatoes and celery on a large serving platter or in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the olive oil mixture over.

  4. Top with the celery leaves, remaining scallions, more dill and more black pepper. Serve with sardines or anchovies alongside or scattered over the top, if desired.

Tips

  • Potatoes can be boiled up to 1 week ahead, wrapped tightly, and kept in the refrigerator. Potato salad can be made up to 1 day ahead, wrapped tightly and kept in the refrigerator.

vegetablesAlison RomanNew York Times CookingComment