The growing garden; Bangers and Mash (a variation)

 My garden continues to grow beyond my wildest dreams and expectations.  And, we continue to get delicious CSA food weekly.  This summer has been food-tastic.


I found my first little cucumbers today!  They are totally unelegant, clumsy, darling, catching the dew on their tiny prickly skins.  There's also three small butternut squash working on becoming full adult orange goodness, and one tiny beginning summer squash whose variety I have forgotten.  Even the green peppers have started to appear on their parent plants, late but alive and kicking.
All the herbs are flourishing. They enrich my life every day, when I sneak out before most meals to trim some of this or that herb.  


Recently, they enriched my bangers and mash variation.
Anyway, we had some extra bratwursts around from a weekend barbecue, and they needed to be cooked up soon.  So I thought, why not have a bangers and mash theme with these.  The brats themselves I sauted up with half an onion, and they were delicious.  We had some new potatoes from our CSA.  But it was just too freaking hot for mashed potatoes, even tho they are one of my favorite foods.  So I thought, what's a cool summery alternative?  POTATO SALAD.  But I had no egg, and I also kind of hate hard boiled eggs, and, sometimes, mustard.  Searching for recipes without these two ingredients brought me to this recipe:


Minted Potato Salad Recipe (Sandra Lee)


Which looked good, with some basic fixes.  I experimented and made the best potato salad of my life.  And used several fresh herbs, too!


Disclaimer: I have also never made potato salad before, but I will again.


So here it is:


Angela's Minty Potato Salad
4 or 5 medium-sized new potatoes
       Cut the potatoes in cubes/slices and boil until soft.  Strain them, and put 
a couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary
2-3 T. olive oil
       on the potatoes, then let them cool in the fridge or freezer.
      After they are reasonably cool, add:
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 green pepper, finely chopped
1 Hungarian wax pepper, finely chopped (I am sure some other form of pepper with a bit of heat would be fine)
4-5 sprigs of fresh mint, finely chopped
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1 T. lemon juice
abundant salt
Pepper to taste
        When all of this is reasonably mixed together, add
1/2 cup yogurt
Mayonnaise to taste. (I used probably three or four tablespoons.  what the heck.  I kept adding mayo until it reached my desired consistency)
More lemon juice, if you want.
Chill it for a while more.  Then eat it.  This was two servings with leftovers.
~Fin~


One thing I am learning is that fresh food in reasonable combinations is pretty much always yummy!  I'm getting freer of recipes--although a long ways from being a truly creative cook, I'm improving at altering recipes to suit whatever happens to be in the pantry.  This is a kind of true liberation, making everyday moments more magnificent and sensory!