Summer is finally kicking in and it’s time for outdoor dining and barbeques. I was recently invited to my friend Joey Chiappetta’s house for an outdoor party and when I got there, nothing had been done.
Joey and I collaborated on a warm potato salad with no recipe and it turned out great. I’ve tweaked it even more by substituting Greek yogurt for the mayonnaise.
I also visited Bistronomic recently in Chicago’s Gold Coast. One of Chef Martial Noguier's appetizers was presented in a small apothecary jar.
I thought it was a great idea for summer entertaining because you can make spreads in advance and simply store them in the refrigerator until ready to use.
A few friends gave me suggestions on what types of spreads would work well.
Try these or have fun creating your own.
Warm Potato Salad
Ingredients
3 lbs Red Potatoes, skin on, halved and then quartered (or cut into 1 1/2" pieces)
4 lg Eggs
1 med Red Onion, chopped
4 Celery Stalks, split and chopped
1 tbl Fresh Rosemary, chopped
1 cu Greek Yogurt
2 tbl Dijon Mustard
2 tbl Whole Grain Mustard
2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Pepper
6 strips bacon, chopped
1/4 cu Flat Leaf Parsley, roughly chopped
Method
Place potatoes in a large pot and add water to cover. Place over hight heat and cook until potatoes are tender but not too soft (about 30 minutes from when you first put them on the heat). Potatoes are ready when a knife can be easily be inserted into the middle of a large piece.
Place eggs in a medium sized pot. Cover with water and place the pot over medium high heat. As soon as the water starts to boil, remove from heat and cover. Let the pot stand for 15 minutes and then drain. Run cold water over the eggs to cool. Once cooled, peel and roughly chop the eggs.
Meanwhile, combine onion, celery, rosemary, dijon, whole grain mustard, salt, pepper and half of the parsley in a large bowl. Add yogurt and mix well.
Cook bacon over medium high high heat until just crispy. Pour bacon and hot drippings over vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Drain potatoes and add to mixture. Add eggs and gently stir ingredients together.
Sprinkle remaining fresh parsley on top for garnish and serve warm.
Small Jar Appetizer Spreads
apothecary jars can be found at The Container Store
Cucumber Mint
courtesy of Giovanni Lugli
Ingredients
1/2 Seedless Cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 tsp Salt
1tbl Fresh Mint, chopped
1/4 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Olive Oil
2 tbl Cream Cheese, softened
Method
Sprinkle salt over cucumbers in a bowl. Place in the refrigerator for an hour. After an hour, drain cucumber and place on a cutting board with remaining ingredients. Chop all ingredients together until well mixed. Transfer to a small bowl or apothecary jar and serve with toast points or crackers.
Shrimp Paté
courtesy of Graham Williams
Ingredients
1/2 lb Cooked Shrimp, peeled and tails removed
2 tbl Onion, finely minced
1 Garlic Clove, minced
3 tsp Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
2 tsp Lemon Zest
Method
Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl or apothecary jar and serve with toast points or crackers.
Parsley Sauce
courtesy of Giovanni Lugli
Ingredients
1/2 cu Parsley, loosely packed
2 lg Hard Cooked Eggs (boiled), roughly chopped
1/2 tbl Olive Oil
1/8 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Pepper
Method
Place all ingredients on a cutting board and chop with a large knife until ingredients are well incorporated. Transfer to a small bowl or apothecary jar and serve with toast points or crackers.
If you have any questions or comments, please send me an email at wayne@waynesweekend.com or follow me on facebook.
