Some vegetables get all the glory.
Potatoes, for instance, get all of the blame and none of the cell phone food porn shots on Instagram.
Chef Kelly Liken thinks that potatoes have gotten a raw deal and bad press.
“There is something so comforting about potatoes. There must be thousands of ways to prepare them, and I haven’t yet found one that sucks. Baked, boiled, stuffed, grilled, roasted,” Liken writes in her “Live in Season” cooking blog.
Liken opened Restaurant Kelly Liken in 2004 in Vail Village and rapidly became one of Colorado’s most celebrated chefs with appearances on Iron Chef America and Top Chef, plus James Beard Award nominations. She shuttered the eatery in 2017.
In defense of the poster child for carbohydrates, Liken notes that one medium-sized, skin-on potato has only 110 calories and no fat, sodium or cholesterol. It boasts nearly half the daily value of vitamin C, more potassium than a banana, lots of vitamin B6 and plenty of magnesium, antioxidants and fiber as long as you eat the skin, where the nutrients are concentrated.
Asparagus, too, is an overlooked nutritional rock star of spring cooking even though it makes your pee smell funny. The pricey jade stalks are an excellent source of vitamin K, folate, copper, selenium, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin C, and vitamin E, as well as a great place to find dietary fiber, various minerals, vitamin A, zinc, iron, protein and vitamin B6.
It is such a sweet delicacy, with or without hollandaise sauce.
For a short time, locally grown asparagus is available at the Boulder County Farmers Markets and Colorado-grown spears are seen at supermarkets. If you are going to hunt for asparagus in the wild, be sure to follow the rules of foraging. In general, asparagus grows in rural places near water sources like irrigation ditches, and the smattering of jade spears can be hard to spot. According to legendary author and cook Alice B. Toklas, “Asparagus, when picked, should be no thicker than a darning needle.”
To harvest, move down the stalk until it gets woody and snap it off the plant. Never, ever pull up the plant and never trespass on private property. As with mushroom hunters, any good forager will tell almost nobody where they find wild asparagus each spring.
According to Liken, diners and cooks get into trouble when they add tons of fat, cheese, sour cream, bacon and gravy to a tasty, healthy vegetable.
On her cooking blog, the chef shares the following recipe that weds stalks and spuds into a salad that screams spring and takes less than an hour to make.
Springtime Potato Asparagus Salad
1 pound new potatoes
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1” lengths
6 radishes (approx.), thinly sliced
1 cup snap peas, julienned
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Salt, freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons minced fresh shallot
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Zest from one fresh lemon
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt, freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Cut new potatoes in half or quarters. Place in a large sauce pot and cover with cool, salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until they are tender, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, put all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a tightly sealed jar and shake it up. When the potatoes are almost tender, add the asparagus to the pan and cook for about three minutes. Pull the asparagus pieces out first and plunge them into ice water right away to keep them crispy.
Strain the potatoes and immediately dress the hot potatoes with half of the vinaigrette. Cut snap peas in thin strips, thinly shave radishes and chop the fresh herbs. If you don’t have all the fresh herbs, substitute smaller amounts of dried herbs. Toss all ingredients, taste and adjust seasonings. Add more dressing, if needed.
(Makes four servings, about 250 calories each. Read Liken’s blog at liveinseason.com)
Local food news
The fifth annual Boulder Passport is filled with summer two-for-one drink specials at 4 Noses Brewing Co., Acreage, BRU, Cellar West, Longtucky Spirits, Odd13, Shine, The Hungry Toad and others, plus there are two-for-one pizza deals. Proceeds support the Angel Relief Fund helping hospitality workers recover from emergencies and injuries. The first 1,000 teachers who apply will receive a free Passport. thepassportprogram.com … Coming soon: Kelly Whitaker will open Dry Storage, an unusual coffee shop, near his Basta restaurant, offering baked goods as well as milled-to-order flour from quinoa, farro, polenta and other grains. Also, Fortuna Chocolate will operate a cocoa-centric cocktail bar and sell chocolate by the pound. … The Walrus Saloon — which once offered Boulder’s first salad bar — has closed after 46 years in business. … Boulder’s restaurant week, First Bite, is looking for a few good foodies, specifically five Boulder County adults who want to dine for free at 10-15 restaurants Nov. 9-17. They must photograph and post about their experiences on social media. To apply, send three sample food images (ones you shot yourself) and a few paragraphs explaining why you must be chosen. Send to: [email protected]
Taste of the week
A sunny late spring evening found old friends convening at chef Jim Cohen’s Empire Lounge and Restaurant in Louisville. The addictive fried Brussels sprouts tossed with toasted walnuts, bacon, mustard vinaigrette and ricotta were a perfect foil for a tart lemonade-based cocktail. Another highlight: Bison short rib tacos with guacamole, pico de gallo and cotija cheese.
Words to chew on
“In Europe we thought of wine as something as healthy and normal as food and also a great giver of happiness and wellbeing and delight. Drinking wine was not a snobbism nor a sign of sophistication nor a cult; it was as natural as eating and to me as necessary.” — Ernest Hemingway
John Lehndorff is a prep cook. He hosts Radio Nibbles on KGNU. Listen to podcasts at: news.kgnu.org/category/radio-nibbles.
