Especially tasty early potatoes, which are a must-have at every Midsummer dinner table. Enjoy them as they are, with butter, or make a delicious potato salad out of them!
Did you know, that early potatoes and new potatoes are not the same thing? Early potatoes are the first thin-peel potatoes of the summer, which are harvested late Spring or early Summer when they are still a bit immature. These potatoes are enjoyed with the peel and well-washed. You’ll be better off if you enjoy them as soon as possible after they are harvested, instead of saving them for later. The best season for early potatoes is right around Midsummer. New potatoes on the other hand, are sold after the ‘Summer potato season’ and stored in September after the harvest season.
Even though it’s almost Midsummer, I’ll give you a little tip on how to enjoy early potatoes during Christmas as well:
Early in the Summer, try and buy potatoes that are about the same size. Wash the potatoes properly. Fill a big pot with water, bring the water to a boil, and add the potatoes. Boil the potatoes for about 3-4 minutes (depending on their size). The potatoes will only be parboiled (partially boiled), so don’t cook them for too long. Place the parboiled potatoes in cold water and put them in the fridge to cool down. Once the potatoes have chilled, dry them properly, put them in a food storage bag with some dill, and place them in the freezer.
Now you can enjoy them at the Christmas dinner table! Just take the food bag out of the freezer, place the potatoes in boiling water, and let them cook all the way. Add some salt to the pot, as salt will make the potatoes firmer and less crumbly. Once you have poured out the water, add a paper towel on top of the potatoes, which will drain the extra humidity out of the potatoes.
Italian potato salad
½ kg potatoes
1 onion
1 garlic
handful of caper
few olives
half a lemon squeezed
high-quality olive oil
fresh basil
Bring water to a boil in a big pot and add the potatoes and salt. Cook the potatoes all the way, but don’t overcook them – The potatoes are done when they are tender all the way through. You can test this by poking the potato with a fork, skewer, or cocktail stick. If the utensil slides easily all the way to the center, the potatoes are done. Peel the potatoes when they are hot, that is when the peel comes off the easiest. If you are using early potatoes, you can eat the peel and all. Peel the garlic and rub it on the serving dish you’ll use for the potato salad. Dice the potatoes, try to make them equal in size. Cut the onion and caper, and mix them with the potatoes. Add the olives, salt, and pepper. Squeeze some lemon juice and drizzle some olive oil on top. Slice some basil leaves into smaller bits and add on top of the salad. Mix a little and serve!
Enjoy a sunshine-filled Midsummer!
The writer Cristina Moborg is an Italian-Finnish foodie, an entrepreneur at HEIROL, and a mother of four. For Cristina, cooking is a passion and a way to show bottomless love for her loved ones. The artistic side of Cristina can be seen in her cooking, as the end result is often picturesque, even though the road there can be a bit messy. Follow Cristina’s cooking adventures on Instagram!
Read more about HEIROL’s story here!
