June 7, 2018 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Salty Smashed Potatoes w/ Harissa Yogurt Sauce | Dolly and Oatmeal

i think we can unequivocally say: potatoes are life. especially this time of year. around mid-june, back on the east coast, would be the beginning of new potato season. my favorite farm stand, fishkill farms at our tiny brooklyn farmers market had the best little taters, second only to the csa potatoes my mom would get from stone barns farm. every week we looked forward to roasting them plain with a bit of salt & pep, grilling them kebab-style with red onions, or making a potato salad. but in all that time, i never tried a smashed version. a couple weeks ago, frank and i had a very casual memorial day celebration at our place, and i made smashed potatoes for the first time! and now i'm kind of obsessed with them. so much so, i have a few notes/technique tips for you to making these potatoes the very best.

let's get started:

to start, choose your potatoes wisely. I would advise to use fresh, market potatoes, simply because they taste the best. you also want to keep them whole when you boil them, so the little to medium ones work best.

next, i tried 3 different techniques in smashing them: using the bottom of a glass - this worked, but didn't make the potatoes craggy enough. getting as many craggy surfaces allows for a lot of crunchy bits - which is key. using the bottom of a baking sheet - while this is a great way to smash them if you're low on time, it still doesn't' produce a craggy enough surface (for me). using a fork - i used a couple different forks, and what i found best was a large serving fork. the potatoes are quite tender at the point when you're smashing them, so i found that a large fork, with a good amount of space between each prong worked the best. and, drum roll, they produced the very best craggy, crunchy tops! take away: use a serving fork!

another find. this might be controversial, but we're gonna roll with it. i know there's all sorts of scientific studies/research that you should really use high heat oil when cooking above 350°F, and i usually do, but i really couldn't get down with the flavor of avocado oil on these babes. so! i used extra virgin olive oil for that perfect flavor.

serve them immediately. they're best when served straight out of the oven. i wouldn't recommend this as a make-ahead dish. you can reheat them, but they're kinda not the same (similar to reheating french fries, ya know?). and that it on my notes!

one more thing, i served these with a simple harissa yogurt sauce, which adds creamy, spicy, cool elements to the mix that just give you just about everything you need. but could definitely eat them plain, with vegan sour cream, maybe some kite hill cream cheese, yogurt-tahini sauce, etc., etc.!

happy june, lovelies!! xo

salty smashed potatoes w/ harissa yogurt | v & gf

to note, the harissa paste i used had preserved lemon in it. so, if you're using a homemade or store-bought harissa, with no lemon juice, i would suggest adding a squeeze into the sauce.
all other recipe notes can be found above! :)

PRINT THE RECIPE!

| serves 4 |

1 1/2 pounds new potatoes
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing
2 tablespoons chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
flaky sea salt
fresh ground pepper

harissa yogurt (makes extra)

5 ounces dairy-free (plain, unsweetened) greek-style yogurt (preferably this brand)
2 tablespoons harissa paste (this is my favorite brand)
1-2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 garlic clove, grated
fine sea salt
fresh ground pepper
chopped parsley and dill, for garnish (optional)

method

place the potatoes in a large pot of salted water, and bring to a boil. turn the heat down to a simmer. cook the potatoes until just tender (use a sharp knife to pierce a potato, if it sticks a bit but can easily slide off the knife they're ready), checking at the 10 minute mark, if they're not tender, continue to cook, checking after a couple of minutes under tender.
while the potatoes are cooking, mix together the yogurt, harissa, 1 teaspoon maple syrup, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. taste and add more maple syrup if needed. cover, and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
drain the potatoes, then let them dry a clean dish towel.
preheat the oven to 450°F. line 2 baking sheets with parchments paper, and grease with a good drizzle of olive oil; use your hands to distribute it evenly. place the potatoes on the oiled pans, about 1-2 inches apart. use a large fork (notes above) to gently smash the potatoes down.
pour the remaining oil into a dish, use a pastry brush to brush the tops and sides. sprinkle with chopped parsley, flaky sea salt, and a few cracks of pepper.
bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until browned and crisp. remove from the oven and sprinkle with more parsley, and some dill sprigs.
serve immediately with the harissa yogurt sauce.

more potato recipes:

roasted fingerling w/ romesco & herby black quinoa

creamy horseradish potato salad w/ pickled shallots & dill

warm fingerling potatoes w/ garlic-turmeric sauce

Bean-Less, Sunflower Seed & Black Garlic Hummus / May 31, 2018 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Bean-Less Hummus! Sunflower Seed & Black Garlic Hummus | Dolly and Oatmeal

i already know the question exists out there that if chickpeas aren't involved in a hummus recipe, does it even qualify as hummus? my personal answer is yes, yes it does in fact qualify. there are many iterations of certain recipes where i draw the line, but when you can modify a beloved food with an ingredient to slightly alter it, then i wholeheartedly think that it has a place at the table.

i first had a sunflower hummus at one of my favorite brooklyn restaurants, vinegar hill house. frank and i went for our birthdays one warm september night and ordered it for our appetizer. theirs was a combination of chickpeas and sunflowers seeds, and they topped it with anise oil and roasted summer squash, but i still remember the hummus' flavor and silky smooth texture. it's been almost 3 years since that meal, and i've thought about making a sunflower seed hummus, sans chickpeas, in that time. a few weeks ago i pulled the trigger, and i'm so excited i did :)

first, there are few things to make this hummus the very best it can possibly be:

a high-speed-blender is key to making it super smooth.
good quality tahini is also pretty crucial (i highlight a few of my favorite brands below).
if you have the time, make hummus ahead of time. i try to plan a couple days out when i i'm going to make it, having it sit in the fridge to let the flavors meld make all the difference (in this hummus, but all other hummus recipes as well). i prefer to eat homemade hummus 2-3 days after it was prepared, it's just that much tastier.

i will say, you do have to be a fan of sunflowers seed's flavor in order to enjoy this hummus. i personally love it; it's nutty and full-bodied, and totally luscious. a bit thicker than its chickpea hummus counterpart, but still fluffy and smooth like a good hummus should be. i like sprinkling the top with za'atar, adding a glug of good quality extra virgin olive oil, as well a pinch of flaky sea salt. you could definitely add your own toppings, or add a specific spice into the blending process that you prefer, but i try to refrain from taking too much flavor away from the lovely combination of flavors here.

favorite tahini brands: (most of these i was able to find in certain neighborhoods in brooklyn or nyc, but fortunately they're also available online as well :) . i also should note that i use tahini almost everyday, and therefore i store it at room temperature, which i prefer. but if you use it less frequently, then i would suggest storing in the fridge.)

beirut - my brooklyn go-to (but you apparently you can purchase it online, too)
soom
seed + mill
365 - an everyday grocery store go-to
al wadi
roland

big hummus-y hugs!! xo

sunflower seed & black garlic hummus

black garlic can be hard to come by. if you can't find it, and you don't mind another step, roast a head of garlic and use 2-3 cloves. but if you don't want another step, simply use regular garlic.

PRINT THE RECIPE!

| makes just over 2 cups hummus |

1 cup raw sunflower seeds, soaked overnight (or at least 4 hours), drained and rinsed
1/2 cup tahini
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 large lemon, or 2 small lemons)
4 cloves black garlic cloves (or 2-3 cloves roasted garlic cloves, or 1-2 cloves regular garlic, roughly chopped) *see notes above
fine sea salt
fresh ground pepper
filtered water, to thin

optional garnishes:

za'atar
extra virgin olive oil
a pinch of flaky sea salt
herb flowers

method

combine the seeds, tahini, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, garlic, salt (i start with about 1 teaspoon, and add more later if needed), a couple grinds of pepper, and 1/2 cup water in the container of a high-speed blender (if you don't have a blender, a food processor will do, but the hummus will not have a silky smooth texture). whiz everything together on high, scraping down the sides of the blender as you go. add more water as needed to get everything blended and smooth.
once it's blended to your desired consistency (i tend to like it a bit on the thinner, silkier side), taste and adjust the salt, and lemon juice, if needed.
scrape the hummus into an air-tight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
serve with a sprinkle of za'atar, a swirl of olive oil, a pinch of flaky sea salt, and herb flowers to garnish. grilled or toasted bread is optional, but very much preferred ;)

similar recipes:

black beluga lentil hummus w/ roasted garlic & fennel

Wild Salmon W/ Pepita-Poblano Romesco Sauce / May 21, 2018 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Roasted Salmon Pepita and Poblano Nature Made-14.jpg

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Nature Made. All opinions are 100% mine.

i was talking to my friend the other day about diet because she was telling me about some stomach pains she had been having the past few months. we got onto a whole topic about the various diets that are out there, some informative, and some confusing. it made me think a lot about my journey on this (seemingly) endless search and endeavor for well-being. and i've come to realize over the years that this looks different for each individual. everyone comes to it with their own ideas and approach, their own background and history; but something that has always mattered to me personally, was if i was going to really look down the long lens of what "well being" was, is was going to be through a very holistic approach.

by holistic, i mean taking into consideration the whole body (the mind also very much included in this). my first undertaking was by changing my diet; removing inflammatory foods, and generally making better decisions about what i was nourishing my body with. but over the years that changed and shifted; i would gain knowledge in certain areas about what might be affecting me, but still not feel my best. i started to notice a giant shift however, when i found out i was pregnant. previously i had focused solely on diet, without taking into account the substantial impact that supplements can have when taken with a nutrient-dense diet.

postpartum, i went through a whole slew of hormonal problems, some i'm still dealing with 19 months out. a few months after having amesy, i stopped taking my prenatal vitamins - vitamin d, magnesium, and a probiotic - because i didn't think i really needed them anymore. i should also mention i wasn't eating my best either. i was starting the mornings with too much sugar, drinking coffee (which has always been a negative trigger for my system), eating way too many carbs at night, and dealing with the stress of moving across the country with a tiny baby. it wasn't until amesy was about a year old that i finally sought the help of a holistic nutritionist here in los angeles.

because vitamin d is synthesized by the skin when exposed to the sunlight during certain times of the day and year, i thought that if i was in the sun enough my source of vitamin d would be fine. it turns out that's not really the case, and that vitamin d aids in the absorption of calcium, which impacts your bones, muscles, and your immune system†. so from there, my nutritionist suggested a few supplements to get me back on track, vitamin d and magnesium among them. nature made vitamin d is my everyday go-to, it's a trusted partner that's devoted to supporting a healthy and wholesome lifestyle. consuming a nutrient rich diet, while also supplementing with vitamins plays an important role in helping me to fill any gaps in feeling my best.

this dish is a little jazzed up, but for the blog, but it's something that i eat each and every week. i try to balance my meals with healthy fats, greens and/or veggies, and nutrient rich protein. i tend to stick to wild salmon when i can get it. here, it's simply roasted with some oil, and salt and pepper. the real gem of this dish is the green romesco sauce. it's slightly spicy because there are poblano peppers at its' base. it's pulsed with toasted pepitas, some garlic, oil, and vinegar. what i love about this is that you cane make the sauce ahead of time, and cook and eat throughout the week with your preferred protein and this romesco sauce. i could even see it being a lovely compliment to grilled veggies in the summertime.

xo!

†These statements have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Wild Salmon W/ Pepita & Poblano Romesco | Dolly and Oatmeal

Roasted Salmon W/ Pepita & Poblano Romesco Sauce

the sauce is on the spicy side. if you want to keep some heat, i suggest using 1 green bell pepper, and 1 poblano pepper.
additional protein options could be: roasted chicken, another fish fillet of your choice, cooked lentils, or cooked beans such as chickpeas.
i served this salmon over some greens with sliced radish, olive oil, lime juice, and salt and pepper, but you could serve it alongside roasted veggies, any grains of your choosing, or as is.

print the recipe!

| 4 servings |

2 poblano peppers
1/2 cup parsley
1/4 cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 large garlic clove
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt & fresh ground pepper
1 pound salmon, preferably wild-caught, sockeye, or king
1 tablespoon avocado oil, or another heat-tolerant oil

method

for the romesco. roast the pepper over a gas flame set to medium-low, rotating it with tongs until charred evenly - about 15 minutes (if you don't have a gas stove, you can broil it in your oven). place pepper in a boil and cover tightly with plastic wrap (this creates steam to help peel the skin). once cool enough, cut the pepper and discard the stem and seeds, carefully peel the skin and discard. run the peppers under water to remove any excess char; dry, and blend in a food processor with remaining ingredients. season to taste with salt and pepper. place in a lidded jar in the refrigerator until ready to use (i like to make it a couple days in advance to let the flavors come together.)
for the salmon. preheat oven to 450°F.
rub salmon filet with the oil, and generously season both sides of it with salt and pepper. place the filet in a large baking dish. cook for 12-15 minutes, until the flesh is opaque, and mostly cooked through.
let the salmon cool for 10 minutes. then slice it into 4 portions and top it with the romesco sauce.