Cascading Kitchen Notes
A Crunchy Lentil Topping for Salads or Soups
To add a tasty crunch to your salads or soups (or just straight handfuls for snacking) make these Crunchy Lentils.
Potato Salad with Lotsa Veggies and Hold the Mayo
Make the salad dressing.
Use your favorite vinaigrette or use Liz’s very good recipe below: This makes enough for a very large potato salad (4 lbs of potatoes). If you’re making a smaller potato salad save the leftover for a green salad.
Whisk together:
- 4Tb red wine vinegar
- 2 Tb Dijon mustard
- 2 Tb peperoncini pickling juice
- 6-8 chopped peperoncini (optional if you have kids).
- Once well mixed, whisk in 1 cup of olive oil.
Prepare the base salad
This salad can hold lots of crunchy veggies-julienned or minced.
- Steam 4 lbs of potatoes cut into 1/2" cubes. Be careful not to overcook into mush. Toss them with ¼ cup of dressing and set aside to cool.
- Julienne or mince 1 bunch of radish and their tops (if they’re farm fresh) set the greens aside.
- Julienne or mince 1 bunch of hakurei (spring) turnips and save their tops.
- Sprinkle radish and/or turnips lightly with salt to make the “bite” drop back…especially helpful for young palates
Wash, spin dry and mince
- about 4 cups of delicate greens (see below)
Right before serving, assemble the salad in a large bowl. Toss:
- Marinated steamed potato cubes
- drained julienned or minced radish and turnips and/or other crunchy veg,
- minced greens (tops of farm radish or turnips, arugula, delicate salad mix…you get the idea)
- With ½ cup of dressing
OPTION: Add 1 cup of sour cream if you like your potato salad creamy. It certainly makes it kid friendly.
If you're using crunchy lentils (see side column), put them on top at the last minute so they keep their crisp. Or put them in a bowl on the table and let the kids have fun with the “sprinkles”.