lsanderson | Green Garlic Tater Salad

Originally published at Larry's Blatherings. You can comment here or there.

For a wonderful and recent birthday party (not mine thankfully) I made a green garlic potato salad, that not only served a quite large group, but is guaranteed to keep vampires away at least for the life of the party.

Five pounds of russet taters cooked, peeled, and cut up however you fancy
Vermouth, dry, white and a lot more than showing it the bottle
EVO
8 stalks of green garlic, tender bits sliced or chopped (less would be quite enough for most people — cook lightly, or leave them in the lemon juice to pickle for a bit)
2 lemons zest and juice
1 boatload of salt or to taste
Fresh ground black pepper or to taste
Thyme, tarragon, and dill weed or other fresh potato-friendly herb
Sriracha and/or Tabasco to taste
Moutard de meaux

Cook the taters to your taste but not too much. Cool under cold running water until you can peel and slice them. Add olive oil and vermouth in generous amounts.

Zest two lemons, and then juice them. (If you want to mild the garlic, quickly cook it or add them to the lemon juice and let set for a bit to pickle.) Add salt, black pepper, and Sriracha and/or Tabasco. Add some mustard and mix to dissolve the salt. Pull the leaves off the thyme and tarragon, and coarsely chop along with the dill. Chop up the tender white bits of the green garlic. Mix it all together with the taters. Taste for salt, vermouth, olive oil, and peppers — ideally it should taste like the potatoes and garlic are having a party in your mouth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Throw some of the left over herbs on top as garnish. I put thyme forests at each end, a path o’ tarragon between, and I ringed the pan with fresh red green-top radishes.