Puntarelle and Tiny Potato Salad – Recipe

Salad of Puntarelle, Tiny Potatoes and Teleme

Sarina and I both fell in love from afar with these tiny little potatoes from Olsen Farms. We spotted them from a few booths away at the farmer's market, and even though we have several rows of potatoes growing at home, we had to have them. I know it is hard to see the scale, but each one was just a bit bigger than a large marble.

On the same day, I found this puntarelle (the leafy green you see in the picture). It looks a bit different than any pictures I found on the web with the same name. Possibly it was younger. Apparently it is in the chicory family. Certainly quite bitter, to the point where I wouldn't really eat it raw.

This wilted salad was my idea of how to pair these two beautiful ingredients. I added radishes, which accentuate the sharpness of the greens, creamy Teleme cheese and roasted garlic to tame them, and peaches and fine balsamico for a bit of sweetness. Toasted walnuts would be an excellent addition. Another soft cheese, a blue cheese or even feta could replace the Teleme

This same concept could be applied to other bitter greens, especially in the chicory family (escarole, radicchio, etc). If it was a head type instead of individual leaves, grilling would be a fine option.

Salad of Wilted Puntarelle, Tiny Potatoes and Teleme
Serves 4
Vegetarian and gluten-free; vegan if you omit the cheese

• 1 head of garlic
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups tiny potatoes (or cut up larger ones)
• 1 bunch of puntarelle, tough part of the stem removed
• 1 peach, peeled and cut into 8 sections
• 4 small pieces of Teleme cheese, room temperature
• 8 small radishes
• 8 slices of baguette
• salt
• balsamico

1. Slice the top 1/8" off the top of the head of garlic, wrap in tin foil, and roast in the oven or toaster oven at 375 F. for 30 minutes or until tender.
2. In a large skillet, heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil over a medium-high flame. Add the potatoes and 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and cook, stirring occasionally in a single layer until tender and the skins are beginning to brown. Blot with paper towels.
3. Drain excess oil from the skillet and add the puntarelle along with a pinch of salt and cook until it is beginning to wilt, about 1 minute.
4. Brush the baguette slices with olive oil, toast them, squeeze roasted garlic cloves on them and spread.
5. To assemble the salad, divide the greens among 4 plates. Top with the potatoes, peach sections,, cheese, radishes and roasted garlic toasts. Sprinkle on a bit more flaky sea salt and give them each a drizzle of balsamico.