Leftover chimichurri and spiced potato skins
The answer to your problems might be in your veg drawer
Last weekend, we were supposed to be going to Amsterdam to see some friends. I found out on the tram to East Croydon, where I’d be getting the train to Gatwick, that the flight was cancelled. And because we were flying after work, there was no next flight to stick us on. We all jumped on a call to figure out whether a 6am flight the next day was worth it. Flying from Luton, at 6am, when you live in South London? The maths wasn’t mathsing. So we postponed the trip.
One of the most frustrating parts (apart from the friends and the money) was the fact we’d eaten every scrap in the flat in anticipation of being away. Coupled with the fact it was red-hot weekend (a sort-of-good consolation prize) all the usual suspects weren’t inspiring when it came to what we’d cook for dinner. Crispy, roasty, carby, rice, pasta… even tacos weren’t doing anything for me (a sure sign that things were dire).
A song that perfectly syncs with my oscillating fan.
After cheeseburgers and a few pints in the pub to commiserate, we decided to do tapas night on Saturday. I’d make some things, Rob would make some things. It would taste fresh and light but also the table would be groaning under all the dishes. Briney olives, some grilled steak, we’d make pan con tomate with fresh ciabatta from the bakery.
Most importantly, though, we’d wing it. We’d just make it up. See what looked good in the shops, what needed used in the fridge and freezer. And that’s where the recipes from this issue come from; one is a chimichurri that is a great way to use up herbs. And a really, really good crispy potato skin bar snack I whipped up, and promptly scoffed with a very cold beer.
1. Crispy, spiced potato skins
A true Scraps recipe, this — literally using leftover potato peels to make a salty, spicy, incredibly satisfying bar snack. Rob made a really nice potato and cauliflower curry last week, and it involved peeling the potatoes first. I insisted on keeping the peels, so I lightly salted them and put them in the fridge.
The next day, they’d released a lot of water, so I patted them dry — the secret to getting anything as crispy as possible. At first, I wanted to shred the peels and make bhajis, but I wanted to avoid frying in excess amounts of oil. Inspired by this onion bhaji recipe, I made a spice mix that I tossed the peels in before roasting them on a really high heat with flaky salt. I also added a tablespoon of onion powder to the above mix of turmeric and chilli powder to give it an extra depth of flavour.
I roasted the skins for about 20 minutes, eventually finishing them under the grill, and sprinkled with coriander and cracked open a beer. They went in no time. Next I want to try it with other peels — carrot, maybe? Or do potatoes again with a different spice blend (berber spice might be good, or five spice, fajita seasoning, even togarashi, a Japanese mix that includes sesame and orange peel).
2. Fridge drawer chimichurri
I actually want to do a whole edition of Scraps about herbs, because there is always half a packet rooting around and I feel stupid when I chuck them away. That is beginning to change a little — right now I have basil, mint, and parsley all growing on the balcony, so I can just cut any to order, but there will always be packets we buy for meals. This also isn’t strictly a fridge drawer recipe since we did buy a packet of oregano for the very purpose of making chimichurri.
In brief: use leftover rosemary stalks to make a simple syrup for your cocktails (a dash in gin and tonics, or almost any cocktails, is dreamy) or chuck them in any roasted potato dishes. If you have parsley, roughly chop it with lemon juice, salt, and a drizzle of good olive oil for a herby mulch you can scatter over meat and fish.
I made this chimichurri first as per the recipe, using oregano and parsley. We drizzled it on the bavette steak we had with our tapas, and it was so good we used it all up. So later in the week, with half a packet of oregano sitting around, I made some more. This time, I used coriander instead of parsley, and squeezed in some lime. I also added chopped mint, since we have loads of it. That sauce formed the base of a real clear-the-fridge-out lunch of cooked grains (quinoa and red rice, from Sainsburys), Rockfish tuna (that I was sent very kindly by the chef Mitch Tonks) and some chopped tomato and cucumber. Once the grains came out the microwave, I chucked a good dense table spoon of the chimichurri in and stirred. The heat from the grains heated up the sauce and helped it melt throughout the quinoa. It was so good. It isn’t traditional, but I think you can experiment with the herbs in this dish. Fresh oregano has such a fuzzy texture, I’m sort of tempted to swap it out for sage in the autumn. Smoked garlic would be nice instead of regular, ditto red onion instead of a shallot. Ditto white wine vinegar instead of red (or maybe some pickle brine?) or different chilli flakes.
That’s it from me this week — one last image though, of our very pleasing tapas spread.