What can I say — the moment if feels everything has been said about potatoes, Nopi potato salad shows up. Crushed potatoes with caper berries, pink peppercorns, and roasted garlic. Exactly what it is in the title, that what makes this salad stand out: garlic roasted with herbs in oil, caper berries, pink peppercorns.
Every recipe in this book from @ and @ is a showstopper designed to impress and entertain. This salad is not complicated but requires planning. No skill required to peel the garlic, pour oil over it, and stick it in the 375°F oven for 20 min. But it takes 20-30 minutes. The difference this little effort makes is dramatic.
There’s a trip to the supermarket or a mail order of caper berries — not complicated but had to be penciled in. The book says to use capers instead. Don’t. Capers will add acidity but the lemony flavor and the bite into a berry will be lost. Do cut large berries in half though — to make the experience linger.
Pink peppercorns with that hard to substitute eucalyptus note, their particular crunch, and color make this salad even more different and memorable.
WHAT WENT IN
— 1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
— 1/3 cup olive oil
— 1 bay leaf
— 1/3 oz thyme sprigs
— 1/2 oz rosemary sprigs
— 2 1/2 lb small waxy potatoes, unpeeled
— 3/4 oz mint, whole stalks and leaves, plus 1/2 oz mint leaves, finely shredded
— 2 oz caper berries, stems removed and cut in half if big
— 5 tsp unsalted butter
— finely grated zest of 1 lemon
— 2 Tbsp lemon juice
— 3 oz parsley leaves, finely chopped
— 2 tsp pink peppercorns, lightly crushed
— coarse sea salt
THE PROCESS
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a small oven proof frying pan, roast garlic in the preheated oven with olive oil, bay leaf, half of thyme and half of rosemary for about 20 minutes basting occasionally. Remove from the oven, strain, reserving oil and garlic separately and discarding the aromatics.
3. In a large saucepan, cover potatoes, mint stalks with leaves, remaining thyme and rosemary with cold water. Add a tablespoon of salt, bring to a boil, and cook for about 15 minutes, until potatoes are ready. Drain, discard aromatics and cut potatoes in half.
4. In a large frying pan using reserved garlic oil, fry potatoes until they are golden. Add capers, roasted garlic, and butter. Cook for a minute.
5. Add lemon juice, zest, parsley, shredded mint, salt to taste, and pink peppercorns. Stir and serve.
