Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Roasted Potato and Cauliflower Salad

Hey dudes! Sorry I haven't posted in so long, things have been kinda busy and the weeks are just getting away from me.  I'm taking this whole week off and not going anywhere (I can't handle "staycation"), and so I'm back in action!

Today I'm posting the recipe for the potato salad I brought to a BBQ on the Fourth of July. Most people who know me well will be surprised by this, as I really hate potato salad (most potato salad). I'm just really not fond of any kind of "salad" whose main ingredient is mayo. I don't like mayonnaise very much at all as a matter of fact.  I'm also not a huge fan of boiled potatoes, unless I'm going to mash them. So between the mushy potatoes, the gloppy mayonnaise and the dill pickles (another one of my least favorites - I know - weirdo alert!) the traditional American potato salad is just really not my thang. The other thing about a mayonnaise based potato salad is that unless you're keeping it over a bowl of ice or in the fridge, it's just really not food safe. A few hours sitting out in the heat of summer, and it's basically just a giant bowl of food poisoning, and no one wants to spend the fourth of July barfing.

I do, however, love potatoes, love lemon, and love smoked bratwurst (specifically from Bavarian Meats in Pike Place Market - they're SO GOOD you guys!) so these are the things I used to make my own potato salad. Ditched the mayo, roasted the potatoes, and added a nice stone ground mustard and lemon vinaigrette. I also added cauliflower, just because I looked at some cauliflower when I was buying the  potatoes and thought it would taste good in there too (spoiler alert - I was right!). Since I am one of those lucky bastards who works on the Fourth of July, I made the whole thing the night before and it really benefited. The resting time gave the dressing time to soak in and all the flavors to meld together, and it came out tasting damn good if I do say so myself. So here you have it:

Roasted Potato and Cauliflower Salad with Smoked Brats:

What you need:

Salad:

  • 3 pounds red or yukon gold potatoes, cut in one inch pieces
  • 1 head cauliflower broken down into smaller pieces
  • 1 package Bavarian Meats Smoked Bratwurst.(I used three out of the five that come in the package, and we ate the other two for dinner)
  • 2-3 tbsp Olive Oil 
  • 2 sprigs fresh Rosemary
  • A few generous pinches salt. I always always use this stuff when I roast veggies, I swear I can't live without it.
  • Large handful (probably about 1/2 cup) parsley, chopped
  • 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Dressing:
  • Juice and zest of two large lemons
  • 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  •  2 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated
  • 4 tbsp good quality stone ground mustard
  • Salt and pepper to taste
What you need to do:

  • Preheat oven to 375
  • Wash and chop potatoes and cauliflower (I don't peel my potatoes because I like potato skin, but if you don't, go ahead and have at it)
  • Place the potatoes and the cauliflower in different roasting pans (they take different amounts of time to cook - as I learned the hard way). Drizzle both with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and roast until they look like this (about 45  minutes to an hour for the potatoes, about half an hour for the cauliflower)

  • While the veggies are roasting away, you can deal with the bratwurst. Slice each sausage into aprox 1/2 inch slices, and place in a pan on medium heat. Let them cook until they're nice and browned and possibly a little charred around the edges. Like this:

  • To make the dressing, whisk together the lemon, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper, then slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking (you can do this with a whisk or with a fork). 
  • Let your potatoes and cauliflower cool slightly, then place in a bowl with the sausage,. Add the dressing, and place into fridge to cool completely (bonus points for letting it sit overnight!).
  • Add the cheese and parsley once the salad has completely cooled and it ready to be served.
It should look a little something like this:




Thanks for checking back in, I've got another few recipes stored up, so I'll probably be seeing you all before next Wednesday!

xoxo Megan