potato salad with green olive tapenade
Potatoes are a perfect blank canvas for absorbing the aromatic flavour of green olives. Another simple recipe from Claudia Roden’s Med A cookbook, which highlights the importance of good quality olives for flavour and texture. Zejd’s green cracked souri olives will need to be pitted here, done in minutes, and you’ll be rewarded with their wonderful floral aroma. The Aleppo pepper is optional, but for the colour and slight kick it is worth adding.
serves 4 as a side dish
ingredients
500g salad potatoes, scrubbed or peeled
70g green cracked souri olives, pitted
3 anchovy fillets in oil, drained
1 tbsp capers, squeezed of brine
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tsp wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
3 tbsp Zejd’s extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
15g flat leaf parsley, leaves sliced
Aleppo pepper to garnish (optional)
method
- Scrub or peel the potatoes, and boil in salted water until tender.
- Put the pitted olives, anchovy fillets, capers, wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and pepper in a food processor. Pulse until you have a rough consistency, be careful not to over blend. Texture is good. Taste and add salt if needed.
- Tip in to a bowl big enough to mix the potatoes in. Add 2/3 of the parsley leaves and combine.
- Drain the potatoes and cut into quarters, or halves if small. Leave to cool for 5 minutes and then add the tapenade mixture. Stir carefully not to break up the potatoes. Then sprinkle the remaining parsley on top with a pinch of Aleppo pepper if using.
Delicious served alongside grilled white fish, or fried halloumi.