CRISPY SMASHED POTATO SALAD + SOME BIG NEWS...
#3 - Potato salad of your dreams, moving house & North London restaurant recommendations.
Welcome back to The Veg Table, my brand new newsletter here on Substack. This is the place to be if you want to take the vegetables on your table to the next level.
For our second full edition, I’ll be walking you through how I take the humble potato, and transform it into the best potato salad you’ll ever eat - CRISPY SMASHED STYLE. I’ve got two stunning recipes for you to make, perfect to enjoy as the weather gets warmer.
This week has also bit a pretty major one for me on a personal note - I’ve moved flat! So, I thought I’d take you through where we’re at, our kitchen plans, and give you some behind the scenes access to what will be the new home of all things Alfie Cooks.
So, grab yourself a bag of potatoes, get smashing and roasting’. And hopefully you’ll find my house-moving musings interesting too!
Happy cooking, and as always, let me know if you give the potato recipes a go in the comments below.
Alfie x
TRANSFORMING A POTATO INTO SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY
I’m not sure I’ve met a single person who doesn’t love potatoes. I guess that’s because there are so many wonderful ways to enjoy them. Packet of crisps? Perhaps my personal favourite. But also somewhat of a problematic one, as I’m finishing a whole big bag to myself as soon as it is opened. That’s just how it is. Portion of chips? Can’t go wrong. Well actually you definitely can. My personal favourite chip is skin on, sized somewhere in between french fries and triple cooked ones. Nice crisp to them, soft on the inside. Submerged in mayo, obviously. Not forgetting wedges, roasties, even boiled have a place at the table (my grandparents’ personal favourite).
But today, I’m taking you through what has fast become my favourite way of cooking and eating potatoes. We are of course talking about CRISPY SMASHED POTATOES, roasted to perfection. BUT THEN, transformed into the tastiest potato salad you’ve ever laid your eyes on. How? Well, by using the tastiest potatoes, and making the most indulgent, decadent, and addictive sauce possible.
Last week, we talked all things asparagus, perhaps spring’s most wonderful seasonal vegetable. And yet, there is also another rather special veggie that is also BANG in season right now, and is a must try if you can find them. The vegetable in question is the wonderful Jersey Royal. They are these beautiful little baby potatoes that have an incredibly nutty, sweet, and buttery flavour. Probably because they’re often hand-grown and harvested to ensure flavour remains as perfect as possible. Believe it or not, this was my first time cooking with this particular type of tatty. You wouldn’t necessarily expect a simple potato to wow you from flavour alone, but MY GOD do these earthy little morsels blow your socks off.
I was fortunate enough to work with Jersey Royals themselves recently, and they asked me to develop a recipe that highlights how delicious these seasonal spuds are. There was one particular recipe that came to mind, which I just knew my audience was going to absolutely love. Now I’ve made a couple of potato salads in my time, but NOTHING comes close to this recent creation. It appears the general social media world would agree - this recipe video has gone absolutely bonkers since I posted it on Friday afternoon.
The dish in question is of course my CRISPY SMASHED POTATO SALAD. But, instead of the classic sauce / dressing you’d normally have (which I’ll also share with you later on), here I’ve made a chilli crisp and tahini dressing. And my god, you simply HAVE to try this one straight away. In fact, I’d say approach with caution, because you literally will not be able to stop eating it on its own, in one go, it’s that good.
TOP TIPS FOR CRISPY SMASHED POTATOES
To cook your potatoes perfectly, there are just a few simple steps to follow. The process isn’t hard, it just requires a bit of patience, and practice too! The first few times I cooked potatoes like this, they didn’t quite come out how I wanted - not to say that didn’t mean they weren’t still delicious. But they’d often fall apart, or not come out beautifully golden and crisp. Below, I’ll outline some of my top tips to make sure you’re nailing your tatties every time.
POTATO SELECTION
As I mentioned earlier, if you can find yourself some Jersey Royals, you absolutely must. They are the tastiest potatoes EVER. If not, get yourself some good quality baby new potatoes. Once boiled, smashed, seasoned, then roasted until crisp, the natural potatoey flavours concentrate into an incredible combination of nutty, warming, and almost buttery notes. Simply sublime.
BOILING UNTIL FORK TENDER
Once you’ve got your tasty potatoes, you want to start them in a large pot of cold water. Then, you can give it a good pinch of salt, before bringing the water up to boil with the potatoes. Then, lower the heat, and cook until the potatoes are fork tender. You want them to be soft enough to smash, but also retain their structure so they don’t fall apart. Full steps will follow below.
COMPLETELY STEAM DRY
The next step is key, and often overlooked - you’ve got to let your potatoes COMPLETELY steam dry. This is so they don’t break apart in the oven when roasting.
SMASHING
Line your baking tray, and evenly spread out your potatoes. Don’t overcrowd the tray, as the potatoes take up more room once they’re smashed. A flat bottomed glass works well for smashing purposes. You want to press down firmly and confidently in one motion - we want the potatoes to stay as intact as possible. Oil the glass a little if you’re finding your glass sticks to the potato.
SEASONING
Jersey Royals really only need salt, pepper and olive oil - their natural flavours released when roasting are just THAT good. But feel free to add any other seasonings here too - smoked paprika is always a good one.
ROASTING
You want to roast the potatoes on a steady heat (180-190 degrees celsius will do the trick) so they get nicely golden and crisp all the way through. Cooking on too high a heat will mean they cook too quickly, making them more likely to fall apart. Flipping halfway also helps ensure an even cook, but try not to check on them or touch them too much, as this will just disrupt the cooking process, and make your potatoes more likely to fall apart.
THE SAUCE
A thicker, creamier dressing provides the ideal counterbalance to the crispy, craggly pieces of crunchy potato, making each mouthful a true textural treat. But THEN, you coat them in the most decadent and indulgent sauce I was talking about earlier. It’s creamy, it’s zingy, it’s rich yet refreshing, it is just utterly delicious. Chilli crisp. Tahini. Fresh garlic and ginger. Spring onions. Soy sauce. Sesame seeds. Lime juice. Rice wine vinegar. And lots more, which all come together to take this dressing to the next level.
So next time you’ve got friends or family over, or having a picnic or bbq, I would say this is a must-make. Trust me, you won’t regret it. My full recipe can be found below, and head over to my socials for the recipe video too. And as always, let me know if you give it a go in the comments below!
CRISPY SMASHED POTATO SALAD + CHILLI CRISP TAHINI
INGREDIENTS (serves 4 as side)
750g Jersey Royal potatoes
Salt, pepper + olive oil
4 tbsp mayo
4 tbsp Greek style yoghurt
2 tbsp tahini
2 tsp chilli crisp
1 lime, zest + juice
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 thumb sized knob ginger, minced
2 tbsp spring onion, chopped
2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
1 tbsp each toasted black + white sesame seeds
METHOD
Place your Jersey Royals in a pot of cold, salted water. Bring to the boil, then simmer until fork tender (25-30 minutes). Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius.
Whilst the potatoes boil, make the dressing. In a mixing bowl, combine mayo, yoghurt, tahini, chilli crisp, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, lime zest + juice. Mix well, loosening with a splash of water if needed. Set aside in the fridge.
Once the potatoes are fork tender, allow to steam dry completely. Then, on a large lined baking tray, place + flatten the potatoes with the bottom of a glass - being careful not to overcrowd. Sprinkle with salt + pepper, then drizzle generously with olive oil. Roast for 30-45 minutes, turning half-way, until completely crisp + golden. You may need to add a splash more oil if required.
Allow the potatoes to cool once cooked, then to finish the sauce add the spring onion, fresh coriander + sesame seeds, mixing well. In a large bowl spoon in 1/2 the dressing. Pour in the potatoes, then mix carefully to fully coat. Add more dressing as required, then I like to finish with more spring onion, sesame seeds + chilli crisp. Serve as a side, or simply enjoy!
OG CRISPY SMASHED POTATO SALAD
Now I know tahini isn’t for everyone, even if it is my absolute favourite ingredient. And perhaps you might want to stay away from the spicier chilli crisp. Fear not, as there is of course a more ‘classic’ version of this smashed potato salad, smothered in a dressing packed with pickled gherkins, crunchy cucumbers, and tangy onions.
Chances are you will have seen this recipe circulating around social media, and I don’t just mean my version. There are SO many wonderful takes on this mouthwatering dish, and for good reason - it’s just so incredibly moorish.
I think what I love most about this salad is the combination of contrasting flavours and textures. Flavour-wise, you’ve got the sharpness of the lemon juice and the twang of onions balanced by the nutty warming notes of the smashed potatoes. Then texturally, you’ve got a thick and creamy dressing coating all those craggly, crunchy potatoes. It really is a celebration of flavour and texture, all in one, mouthful by mouthful.
INGREDIENTS (serves 4 as side)
750g baby new potatoes
Seasoning mix: 1 tbsp each chicken + piri piri seasoning (I use @cornishseasalt or use smoked paprika + garlic powder)
3 tbsp mayo
3 tbsp greek style yoghurt
1 lemon
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp each: pickled gherkins, cucumber, red onion, chives + dill
Salt, pepper + olive oil
METHOD
Place your potatoes in a pot of cold, salted water. Bring to the boil, then simmer until fork tender (25-30 minutes). Meanwhile, pre-heat your oven to 190 degrees celsius.
Whilst the potatoes boil, make the dressing. In a mixing bowl, combine mayo, yoghurt, lemon juice + garlic. Then finely dice the gherkins, cucumber, onion, chives + dill, adding to the bowl. Mix well to combine, then season to taset with salt + pepper. Leave to sit in the fridge until serving.
Once the potatoes are fork tender, allow to steam dry completely. Then, on a large lined baking tray, place + flatten the potatoes with the bottom of a glass - being careful not to overcrowd. Sprinkle with your seasonings of choice, then drizzle generously with olive oil. Roast for 30-45 minutes, turning half-way, until completely crisp + golden. You may need to add a splash more oil if required. You could also probably do this in an airfryer - but might require some experimentation!
Allow the potatoes to cool once cooked, then in a large mixing bowl spoon 1/2 the dressing. Pour in the potatoes, then mix carefully to fully coat. Add more dressing as required, then I like to finish with more fresh herbs. Serve as a side, or simply enjoy!
LIFE UPDATE - WE’VE MOVED!
We have indeed FINALLY moved into our new flat. It’s been about a week since we had our removals, and yes, we are living in a half-building site, which has positives and negatives. Probably mostly negatives from a practical point of view. But on a sentimental and experiential level - it’s all part of the fun hey!
It’s crazy to think we’re now at the start of June already (honestly where the HELL has the year gone). Since completing at the start of April, we’ve had all sorts going on behind the scenes. Building works are ongoing, despite the major bits already done (if you don’t include running hot water and a shower…) But, this is all to be expected when you are quite literally ripping the place apart. Was this the plan? Nope, we said we wanted to move in somewhere that we could call home straight away. But look, we are where we are, and it will all feel even better by the time we’re done, whenever that may be (never).
In any case, I can’t wait to see it all come together and start showing you our new home. We aren’t QUITE there yet, but hopefully the next few weeks will see us make some pretty significant progress. Kitchen should be installed. Glass doors. Plastering done. Tiling finished. Garden cleared. Decorating begins. Bathrooms fitted. The list, quite honestly, goes on and on. The before, the during, and the after is going to be VERY exciting indeed. Watch this space…
New beginnings are of course fun and full of excitement (and a just a little bit of stress), but it also means time to say some goodbyes. As you know, I’ve been cooking in my little corner of the kitchen for the last year now, which has been great. We created some delicious recipes in this space, but I’m definitely ready to move into my own kitchen, and bring you guys with me. New kitchen, new filming set up, and lots more space to get creative. EXCITING STUFF INDEED.
Just a quick note on the move itself, and how wonderful it was to work with AnyVan, who helped us with our removals. Now I used to move a LOT as a kid. From the age of 11 to 18, we lived in around 15 different places - not ideal, especially when it comes to packing up your stuff every year. So, whilst a move is always going to be slightly chaotic and stressful, I can’t thank the team at AnyVan enough for helping us out on this occasion. Madalin, Raz, Luci and Adi really were the best. They were SO helpful, kind and understanding, which helped make our experience as smooth as possible. If you’re planning on moving anytime soon, I would highly recommend using their services. We love you AnyVan!
We’ve been in the new place for a week now. As I said, we’ve made great progress on the kitchen, but haven’t started cooking yet - all my ingredients, pots, and pans are still slowly coming out of their boxes. It’s meant we’ve had to adjust our dinner habits ever so slightly, which has been quite fun to be fair. One evening, it was a picnic from home, featuring your classic nibbly bits. You can’t go wrong with a selection of salads, dips and crisps sometimes. This combination was particularly enjoyable - quorn sausages for a treat, some of Sainsbury’s finest snacky bits and their DELISH olive bread rolls (honestly Saino’s bakery is just so elite). Look, obviously I’m looking forward to getting back into the kitchen, BUT eating and living like this is all part of the adventure, and a fond memory I’m sure we’ll look back on.
Luckily, among the chaos of boxes, we did manage to find our air-fryer, which came in VERY handy when heating up the leftovers of our late-night kebab for lunch the other day. Serious fine-dining from home this - plugging the Ninja in on the floor, tipping in cold chips and falafel, then sat on the dusty floor to devour it. Proper new home vibes.
A RESTAURANT RECOMMENDATION OR TWO…
No kitchen has also meant we’ve been eating out a fair bit more. The first port of call was X’ian Impression, which is just outside The Emirates (Arsenal’s stadium). I’ve been a fair few times before, but this was Angelica’s first visit. So we obviously ordered their signature biangbiang noodles in their spicy sauce. And GOD it just never misses. Chewy, thick, yet light in texture. Savoury, spicy, and aromatic in flavour. And the best part is that they are handmade and hand-pulled, so you just KNOW they are going to taste unbelievable. And they did.
We also ordered the cold noodle salad, the garlicky greens, and black fungus - all of which were very tasty too! The perfect, slightly lighter accompaniments to the main event. If you’ve not visited, well you’ve got to get down there to try it yourselves.
We also stopped by for an al fresco pizza at Zia Lucia, which was very tasty indeed. Nothing like date night sat out on Holloway Road. Speaking of Holloway Road, there are actually some REALLY good coffee spots around. Le Péché Mignon do delicious french pastries and a killer oat flat white. Vagabond N7 has a lovely vibe too - does a great coffee alongside serving up some top lunch options. Miki’s Paradise is a really lovely space , as is Rua, our go to for pick-me-up matcha.
DIP OF THE WEEK…
On TAKE A DIP this week, we made one of my favourites - Caramelised Onion Hummus. It’s a really easy one to do - you’re basically making standard hummus, but adding a glut of jammy caramelised onions too. You’re left with a variation of hummus that’s sweet, savoury, and incredibly moorish. Finishing it off with more caramelised onions and chickpeas on top makes each bread dip EVEN better, as you get a little bit of all the good stuff, scooped up onto your flatbread. I am getting very hungry writing this and looking at the photo. Might need to make some hummus again…
WHAT ELSE…
I’m currently sat finishing this week’s newsletter in Monaco of all places! I flew out this morning for an exciting work trip. More details on that in due course…
This week on Alfie Cooks, we’ll be doing another dip (a very tasty one, perfect for the start of summer), so keep your eyes out for that one, alongside another newsletter exclusive recipe.
Back home, we’ve got the builders in this week, the kitchen installer finishing bits and pieces off, glass doors getting installed and all sorts more. AND BREATHE. So, if you’re into home renovations and all that jazz, stick around! All the good stuff is coming your way.
Until then, I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s newsletter. I really appreciate you being here. Have a lovely week, and I’ll speak to you next time!
Alfie x
The first recipe*
This is the most amazing potato salad recipe ever. My 12 year old twins couldn't stop eating it and asked that I triple the recipe for their birthday. Thanks so much!