Of Muses and Meringues

Potatoes

“The world’s joy
is spluttering,
sizzling in olive oil.
Potatoes
to be fried
enter the skillet,
snowy wings
of a morning swan –
and they leave
half-braised in gold,
gift of the crackling ember
of olives.”

– from “Ode to Fried Potatoes” by Pablo Neruda

I come by my love of potatoes honestly. My mother’s side of the family is entirely of Irish origin. Her father’s great grandfather came to Canada in 1835, while her mother’s great grandfather came in 1838. In other words, they were well-established Canadian settlers more than a decade before the Irish potato famine. My ancestors continued farming in Canada and, in fact, some still do. Growing up a farmer’s daughter, I remember potatoes being part of nearly every supper my mom put on the table.

The potatoes in this recipe weren’t fried, but everything else Neruda wrote about them is true. They entered the oven on snowy wings, and, once roasted, exited half-braised in gold. (I don’t know about you, but just reading that line made me want to eat them all over again.) The potatoes came straight from the farmer’s market, so good they required only the subtlest of add-ins, like the jade of green onions and Neruda’s ember of olives.

Roasted Fingerling Potato Salad
(adapted from The Globe and Mail)

1 pound (1/2 kg) fingerling potatoes, cut in half lengthwise
1 Tbsp olive oil (first amount)
kosher salt or freshly ground sea salt
2 thinly sliced green onions (scallions), white and light green parts only
1/2 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
Pinch red pepper flakes
1/4 cup crumbled feta
1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil (second amount)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss potatoes with 1 Tbsp olive oil, and season with salt. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes or until tender. Cool slightly.

In a small bowl, combine lemon juice and 1 Tbsp olive oil.

Toss potatoes with green onions, celery, parsley and red pepper flakes. Dress with the lemon juice mixture. Add feta and combine gently. Serve warm or at room temperature.

“I have made a lot of mistakes falling in love, and regretted most of them, but never the potatoes that went with them.”

– Nora Ephron

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Beth, I have never met a potato I didn't like. I remember them as a staple of my childhood dinners as well. They really are the ultimate comfort food. The fingerling potato salad looks like the perfect companion at any meal. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  7. Roasted potatoes are just one of the more perfect foods out there. Can't go wrong! Love your subtle but perfect paired additions to the salad.

    Reply

  8. Yes, roasted potatoes are delicious! Yours look lovely and golden, Beth, and your additions are perfect. Never would have thought to add feta.

    Reply

  9. i hadn't seen that neruda poem, how neat! these potatoes look sensational, crispy but also still soft and meaty, just how i like 'em.

    Reply

  13. These are o beautiful! I am so missing potatoes but I (mostly) don't buy them when they are not in season. But I just got word that the first potatoes come in tomorrow's CSA box! Hooray

    Reply

  18. I love this Neruda poem!
    this, to me, is simple perfect food. potatoes never cease to satisfy in all their humble glory. this year, I grew potatoes in my garden—or rather—Potatoes grew in my garden. I cut and tossed some sprouted eyes into the tilled ground, and have just begun harvesting! so thrilled, it worked. and freshly dug potatoes are incredibly creamy and delicious.

    Reply

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