Small Potatoes

I've probably said it before, and I'll almost certainly say it again:  I have a cookbook problem.  I just find them irresistible.  Especially when they look pretty.  Or have a neat concept.  Roots, by Diane Morgan, is such a cookbook.  It features 28 sections, each themed around a particular root vegetable, ranging from the familiar (carrot, potato) to the exotic (arrowhead, salsify).  There are sadly few photos of the recipes themselves, but each section is introduced with a stunning photo of the root in question. Each section also begins with an introduction on the cultivation, storage, and nutritional content of the roots, which is probably my favorite thing about this book.

When I found a bag of multi-colored small potatoes, I knew I would have a perfect recipe for them in Roots.  And so I made "Grilled Fingerling Potatoes with Crumbled Blue Cheese Sauce."  I'm generally not a fan of bleu cheeses-- the flavor's rather strong, and I'm not wild about the crumbly texture.  But I love a steak with bleu cheese on top, so I decided that I'd serve steak along with my potatoes. For the steak, I referred to another fantastic cookbook, Marinades, Rubs, Brines, Cures & Glazes, by Jim Tarantino.  I don't own this one personally, yet.  But it's pretty impressive-- a range of techniques, charts of how to apply them to various meats and vegetables, basic recipes that can be easily adapted to taste and more complex recipes that already have been....  I used a recipe for "Basic Mixed Peppercorn Rub for Beef" on a London Broil.

Steak
2-3 Tbsp mixed peppercorns (I used a 5 pepper blend with black, white, rose, and green peppercorns plus allspice)
1 Tbsp mustard seeds
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp coarse salt
London Broil

Coarsely grind the peppercorns into a bowl.  Crush or grind the mustard seeds and add them, along with garlic powder and salt to the peppercorns.  I used my salt- and pepper mills for their respective contents, and a mortar and pestle took care of my mustard seeds.  I suppose if you need to, you can use ground mustard.  I would not use ground pepper-- the coarseness is key to this rub.  The recipe suggested throwing all the ingredients in a single grinder and going about it that way, but I don't really have a grinder that I can empty, clean, etc. that quickly.  Rub the mixture onto your steak of choice and allow to sit for 1 to 2 hours for best flavor.  Use all the rub; crustiness, while not essential, is good.


Grilling the Steak:  We have a gas grill, so the intstructions here are for gas burners.  Start with the burners on full, to get the grill and the grill rack nice and hot.  To give the food some smokey flavor (because that is why we grill, isn't it?), place some damp food grade wood chips over the flame to smolder.  Right before putting the steak on, reduce the heat/flame to a medium-high setting and grease the grill rack.  Put the steak on the hot rack to sear.  After about 30 seconds, turn the steak 90 degrees to give it that beautiful hash-marked surface.  Close the lid to cook the steak for about 5 minutes (for a thick London Broil-- figure about 2 minutes for each 1/2 inch of thickness).  Flip the steak, greasing the rack again to prevent sticking.  Give it about a minute, turn the steak again, and finish cooking with the lid down.  You can do this at the same time that you are grilling the potatoes (see below), in which case you may want to reduce the heat a bit more (which will result in a more evenly cooked steak anyway).

Potatoes
1- 1/4 lb fingerling or new red potatoes
2 Tbsp olive oil
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

It's this easy:  poke the potatoes a few times with a fork, and place them in a bowl.  Drizzle the olive oil over the potatoes, and toss them with salt and pepper.

Grilling the potatoes:  Heat the whole grill, but before putting the potatoes on, create a cool spot by turning off one of the burners.  Directly above the unlit burner, grease the rack with a bit of oil, and spread the potatoes there to cook in indirect heat.  (This allows all sides to cook at a relatively similar rate, so there's no need to rotate or flip them.)  After about 18-20 minutes, they should be soft enough to be poked with a knife or fork.


Bleu Cheese Sauce
1/2 C plain yogurt (or sour cream)
1/2 C mayonnaise
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
3 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
2 Tbsp snipped fresh chives
3 oz. bleu cheese, crumbled

Whisk together the yogurt, mayo, mustard,, sugar, and pepper.  Gently fold in the remaining ingredients.  This sauce will keep for a while in the fridge.  If you make it in advance, you may want to let it sit at room temperature for ~30 minutes before serving.

I thought this meal was delicious-- the seasonings are rather minimal, which allowed the flavors of the meat, potatoes, and cheese to really stand out.  For the same reason, everything was very cohesive; it all fit together.  This is the kind of meal that rises to all occasions-- simple, yet elegant.