Roasted Red Pepper and Potato Salad
Dec 9th, 2008 | By Peter Minakis | Category: Appetizer, Greek, Meze, Olive Oil, Potato, Recipe, Salad, Side, Vegetables, VegetarianI hope you enjoyed my travel and 
food journey through New York over the past couple of weeks. There have been many times since my return where I wished I could jet off each weekend, see some new friends again and sample more of the city’s great food.
I’m thinking New York could become a yearly thing and I have some ideas for the next time! I have one more (final) post to add about my New York stay but I’ll delay that one for a bit as I’m kinda hungry to get back into my regular blogging step.
I’m most comfortable creating or trying new dishes, photographing it (quickly as possible as my food photo subjects are also meal subjects) and ultimately sharing the dish with you.
This dish involves two of my favourite ingredients…potatoes and red peppers. Potatoes are filing, potatoes taste great and potatoes are versatile. Potatoes can be boiled, friend, baked, steamed and used in both sweet and savory dishes.
Peppers…Oh how do I love thee pepper. As the son of two parents from the northern Greek prefecture of Florina, it’s almost by default that I would adore peppers. Greeks by and large enjoy peppers but I think the Greeks in the north love them just a little bit more.
My dad will have peppers in some form or the other in his meal. My father also has a thing for hot peppers. We’re not talking spicy but hot, blow your head-off, speaking in tongues /I think I see God kinda-hot.
I had an uncle who was so enamored with peppers (especially hot ones) that he would bring small chilis with to a wedding reception and snip some into his banquet dinner!
Red peppers all across Greece are referred to as “ΠιπεÏιÎÏ‚ ΦλωÏίνης” or “Florina Peppers. Yes folks, we’re that fond of peppers that the red ones are associated with the Prefecture of Florina!
As most of your will agree, tomatoes around this time of suck. Well, most of them. Here in Canada, we have quite the hot-house industry for growing vegetables indoors and I even saw some imported Ontario “on the vine” tomatoes at Whole Foods in New York!
I usually stick with cherry tomatoes in the winter as they are the only option for anything with taste but don’t give up – there’s an alternative….make the red pepper your winter tomato!
Red peppers have more vitamin C than an orange and so on a health aspect, you want red peppers in your winter diet and some of you might even have a phobia about scurvy. Eat red peppers!
The best way to roast red peppers is on a gas or charcoal grill. Us Canadians are crazy that way (we’ll grill all year ’round) but we’re also realists….standing for hours charring peppers is a sure way to get sick.
Each September, my family roasts bushels of sweet and hot peppers for the long Canadian winter. If your don’t have a charcoal or gas grill, use your stovetop to char your peppers but be prepared for a hearty post-charring clean-up…it will be messy.
Bushels of peppers get charred/blackened on the grill and then they are placed on a large tray and covered so that they can “sweat” before being preserved.
My family’s favourite method for preserving roasted peppers is to freeze them. In one of my earliest blog posts, I go into detail on how we do this but the short story is…bag them in zip-lock bags and freeze them for up to the next summer.
When you freeze your peppers, leave the charred skins on. The skins will provide added protection to your peppers from freezer burn and when thawed, the skins peel off rather easily, leaving you with perfectly roasted peppers that are ready for a salad or side dish as part of your winter meal.
Today, I’m going to show you one of my favourite combos, that is to say roasted red peppers and boiled potatoes. Here, I’ve also added some roasted red garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, chopped fresh chives, parsley and briny capers.
Roasted Red Pepper and Potato Salad (Πατατοσαλάτα με πιπεÏιÎÏ‚ ΦλωÏίνης)
(for 2 or as a side dish)
1 large Yukon Gold potato
1 large red bell pepper, skins peeled and cut into ribbons
3 cloves of roasted garlic
(or 1 raw clove)
1 Tbsp. capers
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. chopped chives
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
red wine vinegar (optional)
sea salt
fresh ground pepper
- Place a small pot of water on your stovetop and bring to a boil. Add some salt to the boiling water and carefully place the potato (with skin on) into the water and reduce heat to medium and boil until fork tender. Place under to cold water to cool the potato until you’re able to comfortably handle the potato (you still want it to be warm).
- Using the dull side of a knife, peel of the skin of the potato. Now carefully slice your potato into slices and set aside.
- Wrap each slice of potato with a ribbon of roasted pepper and plate in a circular, overlapping pattern.
- In a small bowl, add roasted garlic and mash it into a paste with a fork. Now add the olive oil and whisk the two ingredients until blended.
- Sprinkle some sea salt over your roasted red pepper and potato salad and pour the olive oil and garlic mixture over the salad.
- Grind some fresh black pepper over the salad, garnish with chopped fresh parsley, chives and capers and drizzle a little wine vinegar (optional) as a finishing touch.
- Serve with grilled or fried fish or some good, homemade sausages.
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© 2008 – 2010, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.
At first glance this reminded me of caprese salad, then I read you say to make the pepper your winter tomato. This is a terrific idea, and such a pretty dish for winter. My first instinct was to serve it with a nice simple piece of grilled fish too!
A delightful salad and a gorgeous idea!
Cheers,
Rosa
A delightful salad and a gorgeous idea!
Cheers,
Rosa
A delightful salad and a gorgeous idea!
Cheers,
Rosa
A delightful salad and a gorgeous idea!
Cheers,
Rosa
A delightful salad and a gorgeous idea!
Cheers,
Rosa
A delightful salad and a gorgeous idea!
Cheers,
Rosa
A delightful salad and a gorgeous idea!
Cheers,
Rosa
This salad looks beautiful! And I love your idea of preserving peppers through the winter… I only did a few spicy peppers, so I will need to rely on Holland peppers to make this.. but I’ll still use the charcoal grill.
Your salad looks gorgeous and I love the combination of the potatoes, peppers and capers.
Roasted red peppers have the sweetest, and most delicious flavor. I will never get bored of that taste. I’ve never tried them with potatoes, and it sounds delightful. Thanks for the inspiration Peter!
What a great looking salad Peter. I love anything with capers so this would be right up my alley~!!!
Love this. Great alternative to a ‘typical’ American potato salad.
Good tip for freezing roasted peppers! I would have never thought to do so.
My father was one of those who could eat blow-your-head-off peppers!!
A simple dish but so artfully presented!
I love this salad.I cant get enough of peppers.And I have always like oil based potato salads like the ones I used to get in France. Excellent Peter.
Your Uncle’s kind of “hot” is hysterical :)
I love when you mention your family.
OMG my dad packs his own heat when he eats out too!! How funny these Mediterranean men can be. Love the dish Peter, I freeze roasted peppers too, I freeze a lot of things because I like to eat just as well on week nights after work as I do on weekends when we have more time to cook.
this looks great! love the combination
Peter,
This is a nice winter version of my MUTZ and PEPPAS!
(that would be Mozzarella and Peppers if you are not from NJ).
Stace
Peter,
I really enjoyed your NY food/trip journal. I think that you are a true child of the Greek north with your pepper-obsession. hey are a great treat though so thumbs up. This salad will be fantastic with some grilled fish…
Beautiful! A wonderful combination!
ronell
That salad is not just pretty to look at, but it’s a really nice change from the standard potato salad *zzzzzzzzzzzz**.
I love peppers too, although I have never been quite so ardent that I would be grilling and preserving them. Perhaps I should.
That is a nice combo. Do you think Mexicans and Greeks love their peppers a little bit too much? I don’t think that’s possible! The pictures could be the cover of a Greek food magazine ;)
Virtually delicious, Peter. And what a nice combination, the color from the bell pepper is very vibrant as well.
Cheers,
Elra
What a gorgeous salad. Roasted red peppers are my favorite!
i had a fabulous time in new york with your food journies, wonderful to have you share them with us. our florinis in the garden have just finished their growing season, so we’ll have to wait till next year to repeat your menu choice today
Peter, I have a French recipe for potatoes and sausage that is similar to this. Your Greek version, however, trumps mine. This is just spectacular to look at. I’ll be trying this really soon.
What a gorgeous winter salad
Chico, this is one of my favourite combos too! Those family stories made me laugh… I could even imagine your uncle getting into the wedding with the hidden peppers :D :D
Never tried to freeze them… are you sure, they taste good after defrosting? Si? got your word?
Yummy and so healthy too :) If all Greeks would concentrate on good cooking and fun we would have far far less troubles :D
I absolutely love roasted red peppers! To this day, one of my fave quick snacks is a slice of "plastic" cheese (yes, yes…I know – but no other will do for me) & red peppers marinated in garlic/oil sandwiched between 2 slices of fresh white bread. Makes me feel like a kid again – it was a school lunch staple :)
That recipe has all the flavors I enjoy, and it would definitely make a nice change from the typical potato salad everyone makes (and I rather loathe!).
Can one ever have enough potato recipes. I love potatoes paired with
tomatoes…mmmmm, yummee
Too bad I’m allergic to peppers, because this is so pretty! Color on the table adds so much to the flavors, IMHO.
Red peppers, potatoes and capers..that sounds like heaven to me!
Roasted peppers are one of my favorite things as well. This dish looks so festive I’d imagine it would bring a little sunshine into even the most dreary winter days.
With such a salad, you add colour on your table!!
That’s a pretty nice dish full of flavors, I like it:))
Looks good Pete, gotta try this one for sure.
This is such a gorgeous dish, and I know it tastes as lovely as it looks. Besides, it contains all my favorite things!
Potato and bell peppers? Thats a great combo in a salad.Have to try this soon
Just by looking at the dish makes me feel that hunger in my stomach and drooling feeling in my mouth..scrumptious!
I’d be happy to eat this salad all winter. I love, love, love roasted red peppers, and chives and capers are two of my favorite additions to a salad. This looks super.
Your presentation is beautitful, Peter, so simple and elegant at the same time. I love this kind of dish.
Potatoes and red peppers are two of my favorite things as well. This looks delicious and plates beautifully!
If there are potatoes and capers involved I am there. I barbequed just the other day considering we haven’t had any snow as yet here in the valley. Of course skiing opened yesterday in the mountains but as long as I am not shovelling and still have my BBQ utensils in hand I am a happy camper.
this is a gorgeous, christmas-appropriate dish! i can’t seem to get christmas off my mind–i’m seeing it in everything, even when it’s not intended. :)
I don’t think you canadians are crazy at all for grilling all year long. Heck my grills have priority in the garage (ok that is really a lie my truck won’t fit in the garage because of the freezers but I still think it is cooler to say the grills are that important in my life).
I like the idea of freezing them and never thought about skin on. Going to have to do that with next year’s crop.
This salad looks to pretty to eat. Great combination of flavors here–I am especially fond of the peppers and the tart capers.
I love peppers a lot too especially red pepper, they are so fleshy and sweet. Your salad has two of my fav ingredients. Looks so good.
They look so much like a caprese salad! Makes me yearn for Summer.
I was thinking the same thing as a lot of people, it looks so much like a caprese salad!
Oh yum! Potatoes – check. Red peppers – check. Capers – check. I’m totally good to go for making this recipe! YUM!
That looks like the recipe for me Peter and I am ticking off the ingredients in my head! I loved the freezing tip. Thanks for that!
I love the idea that red peppers can replace the winter tomato. And so much vitamin C! I had no idea. With its bright flavors, this salad could go any season.
Peter,
This dish does look like it would hit the spot!!!
That is too funny that your uncle brigs his own peppers to weddings!!!
What a pretty sight that is, just one look, and I want to eat it immediately!
Unusual to me but what a great looking plate. I would dig in.
I love the plating and the flavours here – bookmarked! Roll on the English summer…
[...] Roasted Red Pepper & Potato Salad [...]
[...] Roasted Red Pepper & Potato Salad [...]
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