Donna Hay does it again

I love Donna Hay's eponymous cooking magazine. It's an Australian publication which means I tend to discover it more by accident than intention. Local bookstores just don't seem to have it on a regular basis, or maybe the copies sell out quickly.

The other quirky thing about Donna Hay is that she's usually publishing recipes for the opposite season, being in the Southern Hemisphere. But issue 67, which I found earlier this summer, is a winner — primarily for its variations on potato salad. Turns out the magazine has sold out and I can't find the recipes on-line, so I will share one of the recipes I tried: Salmon, horseradish and potato salad. 

Essentially, boil new potatoes for 18-20 minutes, drain and set aside until cool. Then slice thinly. While the potatoes are cooking, thinly slice two large cucumbers. Quickly pickle them in a bowl with 1/2 cup white vinegar and 2 tablespoons sugar. Allow them to marinate at least ten minutes.  

Make a dressing with 1/2 cup creme fraiche, 2 tablespoons each of white vinegar and horseradish, sea salt and pepper to taste. Lastly, grill 4 salmon fillets of about 7 ounces each. Top the sliced potatoes with flaked salmon, drained cukes, chopped chervil and drizzle with the dressing. An easy, elegant and delicious dinner for four.

What I really liked about these recipes was the flavor combinations. 

• One salad wrapped wedges of cooked potatoes with proscuitto, then tossed them with frisee lettuce and cooked asparagus spears. Dress it with lemon juice to which you've added garlic and chopped anchovies to taste. 
• Potatoes, peas, green onions, mint with a dressing of yogurt, lime juice and Indian lime pickle.
• Another great combination I tried mixed potatoes, radish halves, sliced baby beets and red lettuce. Dressing is mayo mixed with fresh tarragon, garlic, capers, and a bit of vinegar and oil.
• Boil new potatoes in water to which you've added finely sliced ginger root, garlic cloves to taste, salt and 1 cup of rice vinegar. Boil for ten minutes, then add turnips and cook another ten minutes. Drain, slice potatoes and turnip and mix with sugar snap peas and edamame beans that have been blanched. Dressing is 1/2 cup mayo mixed with 1T. each of wasabi paste and rice wine vinegar.

I realize these are not full recipes but I think you can get the idea and improvise using amounts of ingredients and spices that appeal to your personal taste. And maybe when Donna Hay Magazine gets their recipe index functioning you can find more details and ideas online.

Comments

[Rae]

Now I want potato salad and it is only 6:30AM! I just pulled soup recipes this weekend as Fall appears to be just around the corner. A potato one, a corn one and a sausage one.