Who hasn’t brought a side dish to a summer get-together?
If you are looking to really up your seasonal side-dish game, you’ve got to try this simple, elegant potato salad recipe from the legendary Craig Claiborne. The recipe itself comes from Florence Fabricant’s celebrated book, “The Ladies Village Improvement Society Cookbook: Eating and Entertaining in East Hampton,” which you can purchase at the LVIS Bargain Box Thrift Shop and BookHampton.
Florence Fabricant’s LVIS cookbook highlights recipes from some of the East End’s most celebrated and revered chefs, farmers, vintners and all-around foodies. (Left: photo by Doug Young; right: photo, copyright © Rizzoli, New York)
Fabricant, a nationally renowned food writer and columnist for The New York Times dining section and a resident of East Hampton, has long championed the work of Claiborne. As the former food editor at The New York Times, Claiborne not only created the restaurant review system still used today but also discovered countless young chefs and helped to launch their careers. Fabricant remembers his time in the Hamptons fondly, noting that his parties there were “legendary,” often hosting culinary dignitaries from around the world.
She also offers a glimpse into his creative process with renowned French chef Pierre Franey (known for his “60-Minute Gourmet” column), saying, “Craig would be at the typewriter and Pierre Franey would be in the kitchen right adjacent. Pierre would cook and yell out things, and Craig would type away.”
Claiborne’s original recipe calls for butter and crème fraîche, but today we might use olive oil. As Fabricant explains, “When Craig Claiborne was at the top of his game…extra virgin olive oil barely existed. If you were going to use oil back in those days, it was likely canola or sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, or some other cooking oil. And when you’re doing a salad, you don’t want cooking oil.”
But perhaps her best advice is how to turn this side dish into a main event. “You can also throw in shrimp if you want, or throw in lobster, and you’ve got a main dish. Lobster would be fabulous.” And if you do, she has the perfect wine pairing: “To my mind, viognier is the best wine with lobster.” (Head to Domaine Franey Wines & Spirits in East Hampton, the wine shop of Pierre’s son, Jacques, for stellar recommendations.)
And in case you were wondering what she’s up to now, she’s working on her memoir, My Life In Food, which her publisher, Hachette Book Group, will release next year.
(Recipe reprinted from The Ladies Village Improvement Society Cookbook: Eating and Entertaining in East Hampton by Florence Fabricant, Rizzoli, New York. Available for purchase at the LVIS Bargain Box Thrift Shop and BookHampton.)
Herbed new potatoes with fresh peas
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh English peas (from about 1 pound in the pod)
- 1 1/2 lbs small new potatoes, red or white
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup crème fraîche (for a lighter option, you can use 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in place of the butter and crème fraîche)
- 1 tbsp fresh basil, cut into chiffonade
- 1 tbsp minced flat-leaf parsley leaves
Directions
- Place the peas and potatoes in a medium saucepan. Cover them with salted water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until both are tender.
- While the vegetables are cooking, prepare a 1-quart bowl of ice water with a strainer suspended in it.
- Drain the cooked peas and potatoes. Transfer the potatoes to a separate bowl.
- Immediately place the peas in the strainer and submerge them in the ice water to chill. Once chilled, drain them and set aside at room temperature.
- Return the potatoes to the saucepan. Add the butter and crème fraîche (or olive oil, if using) and heat gently for about 5 minutes, allowing them to warm through.
- Add the peas to the saucepan and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat, stir, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Shower with the parsley and basil, and serve immediately.
