foodie: bruschetta potato salad

i got back from a trip to the csa with heirloom tomatoes, a pint of potatoes, a bunch of fresh basil and a head of garlic (among other things).  inspired by the spoils of my trip, i decided to create a bruschetta potato salad -- it was delicious, super simple to make and craig told me afterwards that it's one of his new favorite dishes!  this one's a winner all around :-)

here's what you'll need for 4-6 servings...

1 pint potatoes, cut into 1/2 in cubes
1 pint tomatoes, chopped
4-5 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 cup basil, cut into a chiffonade (long, skinny ribbons)
1/8 cup olive oil, plus a tad more for roasting the potatoes
salt & cracked pepper

preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

1. put the cleaned, cubed potatoes on a baking sheet, toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  roast for 30 min or until fork tender.

2. while the potatoes cook, prep the rest of the food.  toss the tomatoes, garlic and basil together.  season with salt and pepper.

3. once the potatoes are done, mix them into the tomato mixture and drizzle everything with olive oil.  season with more salt and pepper to taste.

adding the warm potatoes to the bruschetta enables them to soak up all the goodness, and the final drizzle of olive oil really seals the deal.

this dish makes for a fabulous summer side dish or works well as an entree salad over chopped romaine.

bon appetit!

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foodie: grilled potato packets

because of the outrageous heat waves we've been having here in the northeast, i was reluctant to cook indoors the other night.  (our tiny cottage heats up fast if the oven goes on...)  so, instead, we fired up the grill and had a vegetable feast!  one thing that i was particularly excited about was the potato packets i made, so i thought i'd share the recipe : )

here's what you'll need for 4 packets...

1.5 lbs baby new potatoes, halved
1/4 cup good mustard (i used grainy horseradish mustard)
2 tbsp dry white wine
2 tbsp olive oil
2-3 garlic gloves, chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
plain greek yogurt or sour cream
salt & pepper
4 1ft by 1ft foil squares coated with non-stick spray

1. in a bowl, whisk together the mustard, wine, oil and garlic.  add in the potatoes and cilantro and toss.  season with salt & pepper.

2. evenly distribute mixture between the 4 foil squares, and fold into secure packets.

3. cook over medium-heat on the grill, preferably on the upper rack, for 25 min or until fork tender.

everyone gets their own packet, and once they dump the contents onto their plates, they can top it with plain greek yogurt or sour cream...or pesto...or tapenade...

we enjoyed our potato packets with grilled spring asparagus, crisp romaine salad and grilled portabella caps topped with tangy bleu cheese : )

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