Delivery 8/19/2020
It's Picnic with your People Week! We encourage you to join this DIY picnic event to celebrate our trails, open lands, and local food. Simply get out and enjoy a picnic at your favorite park or trail. Win some great prizes by posting photos of your picnic to social media with the tag @gvlt and hashtag #picnicwithyourpeople . Ends Sunday, 8/23. Find more details here.
ITEMS
Red Viking New Potatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Royal Burgundy Bush Beans
Herb bunch: basil, parsley, dill, and scallions
Dozen eggs
Pork Charcuterie or Gouda Cheese
PRODUCERS
Gallatin Valley Botanical - Bozeman
Chance Farm - Bozeman
Towne's Harvest - MSU, Bozeman
Gallatin Valley Botanical & Amaltheia - Bozeman
"Straight From the" Farm Fresh Eggs - Manhattan
5th Season Montana - Darby or Flathead Lake Cheese - Polson
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Deviled Egg SaladÂ
Deviled eggs are a classic party food, but as for speed and ease of transport, they don't top my list of picnic must-haves. A deviled egg salad, on the other hand, is an easy-to-make, easy-to-carry spread for your favorite crackers or crusty baguette. Recipe yields ~2 cups.
1/3 C mayonnaise or plain greek yogurt
2 Tbs Dijon mustard
1-2 tsp fresh lemon juice (optional)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
6 hard-boiled eggs, chopped to ~1/4 inch pieces
1 scallion, minced
1 Tbs herbs, chopped (dill is my preferred, but parsley and basil work well too)
Bread, crostini, or crackers for serving
Cook the eggs in boiling water for 8-10 minutes. Cool and peel, then chop. In a bowl, mix together mayo/yogurt, mustard, lemon juice, salt, pepper, paprika, herbs, and any other variations you prefer. Stir in the eggs until well-combined, cover, and refrigerate until you're ready to eat it. Garnish with more paprika and herbs and serve with bread or crackers.
Variations: You can dress this basic recipe up in any way you like. Add chopped pickles or fresh veggies like celery. Experiment with different flavors like curry powder, wasabi, harissa, or horseradish. Top with bacon crumbles, or pulled pork, or smoked salmon, etc.
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French Potato Salad
This is my favorite potato salad! It's fresh, herb-y, and rich without being heavy. You can make just the potato salad, but I highly recommend adding the cherry tomatoes and beans along with any other variants that sound good to you. Recipe adapted from Ina Garten. Serves 4-6.
2 lbs Purple Viking Potatoes, scrubbed then halved or quartered depending how big they are
2 Tbs white wine - if you need a sub, use 1 Tbs wine vinegar and 1 Tbs broth
2 Tbs chicken or veggie broth
3 Tbs Champagne vinegar - sub white wine vinegar or cider vinegar if needed
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
10 Tbs good olive oil - If you're not including other veggies, cut back the oil to 6- 8 Tbs. You can always add more!
1/4 C minced scallions (both white and green parts)
2 Tbs minced fresh dill
2 Tbs minced flat-leaf parsley
2 Tbs julienned fresh basil leaves
Drop the potatoes into a large pot of boiling, salted water and cook for 10-15 minutes or until they are just cooked through - test that the largest pieces can be pierced with a fork. Drain well in a colander. While potatoes are still warm, toss gently with the wine and chicken stock in a large bowl. Allow the liquids to soak into the potatoes for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the vinegar, mustard, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper and slowly whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Add the vinaigrette to the potatoes then add the scallions, dill, parsley, and basil, plus another 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper and toss everything together. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Depending on how salty your broth is, you may want to add up to another 1/2 tsp salt. Taste and adjust as needed.)
Variations:Â Add any or all of these to your potato salad and use the full amount of olive oil.
1 C halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 lb Royal Burgundy beans (or green beans) - trim stem ends and cut into 1-2 inch pieces. You can blanch these separately (3-5 minutes in boiling water, drain, 5 minutes in ice water, drain), but it's simpler to just add them to the potatoes for the last 4 or 5 minutes of cooking and forget about the ice bath.
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
Capers, sliced olives, canned tuna, and/or anchovy fillets are all common additions to make a true provençal potato salad, but are not necessary. Use what you like!
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Additional Recipes & Suggestions
If salads don't float your picnic boat, or you're just in the mood for something else, here are a few more ideas for this week's items:
This pasta salad recipe from 8/5 with tomatoes and beans would be tasty!
Southern-style Beans and Potatoes (There are tons of variations of this dish: you can use bacon, salt pork, or ham hock. This version is in a skillet, but some simmer on the stove in a large pot, and some are made in a crock pot.)
Madhur Jaffrey's Spicy Green Beans and Tomatoes - you'll have to add more beans or reduce the spices a little in the recipe for your 1 lb of beans. Use cherry tomatoes.