Smashed Potatoes With Tapenade
Updated May 23, 2016
Jennifer May for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
FOR THE TAPENADE
1 cup Kalamata olives, minced
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and minced
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE POTATOES
4 red or white potatoes, about 5 ounces each, well-scrubbed
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 bay leaf
6 black peppercorns
Salt
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
26 grams carbs; 383 calories; 22 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 31 grams fat; 5 grams fiber; 518 milligrams sodium; 3 grams protein; 2 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
FOR THE TAPENADE
- Step 1
In a bowl, combine all ingredients for tapenade. May be refrigerated up to one week in a tightly sealed container.
- Step 2
Put potatoes in a saucepan with vinegar, bay leaf, peppercorns, salt and water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and continue to cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until potatoes are soft. Drain. While still warm, place potatoes in a dishtowel and gently crush with the flat of your hand on a hard surface.
- Step 3
Heat a seasoned griddle over medium-low grill or stovetop until a drop of water sizzles on surface. Place potatoes on griddle and cook without moving until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove potatoes to a plate with a wide spatula. Top uncooked side with 2 tablespoons tapenade, pressing it into potato. Put potatoes back on griddle, tapenade side down, and cook another 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
Private Notes
Comments
Vinny Gambini: So, Mr. Tipton, how could it take you five minutes to cook your grits, when it takes the entire grit-eating world twenty minutes?
Mr. Tipton: [a bit panicky] I don't know. I'm a fast cook, I guess.
And I'm a slow cook I guess. My potatoes (weighing between 4.5 and 5.5 ounces) took a lot longer than 12-15 minutes to get soft.
Otherwise, this recipe is brilliant.
While this was good, Melissa Clark has another approach to the general idea here—potatoes with a lemony olive tapenade—that's more satisfying: Cut the potatoes into 1.5-inch chunks (or, use new potatoes) and boil them in salty water until tender. Meanwhile, make the tapenade in a food processor (she uses a quarter the olive oil but juice + zest of half a lemon, for a sharper result). Her blitzed tapenade better coats the potatoes than Mallman's mince, while skipping the griddle reduces fuss.
This recipe was a disaster. The tamponade was very delicious, but cooking it tamponade side down? All it did was char and dehydrate the olives. I don't know. The tamponade wouldn't stick to the potatoes either no matter how much I "pressed" it into the potatoes, though that just made the potatoes crumble. The flavors are in theory a good combination but the execution did not work out for me... I will give it 2.5/5 stars though for the tamponade
I am a very lazy entertainer and don't like to do much after my guests arrive. I wonder if these could be taken to the smash step the night before. The next day brush with olive oil and thyme, season and put on a griddle on the grill. A drizzle of oil and lemon when they are done. I would just top them with a little sour cream and the tapenade. I don't like the idea of the mess grilling tapenade would make.
Great...Served with Maui Cattle Co. bbqed N.Y steaks...