Costas dug out the potatoes this morning. We had only planted a few, and we are quite pleased that we ended up with a full basket! Plus a few dark purple Peruvian potatoes from just one that I brought from California. We must have managed to get about 10 pounds, but I didn’t weigh them and now is too late as we have already eaten a few; we couldn’t wait!
Greek islands, especially Naxos, are renowned for the quality of their potatoes. Almost every garden in Kea plants potatoes twice a year, for the family’s table. Some have a surplus to sell. My friend Despoina Drakaki, who recently returned with her husband to her native island of Paros, told me that their potato crop, from a small garden, was amazing this year; more than enough for three families: hers, her son’s and her daughter’s!
In our little garden, next to the old lemon trees, we had just planted a row of potatoes between the beets and the artichokes, that seem to thrive–we hope we will have lots of delicious purple thorny artichokes in the spring! Costas separated the tiny potatoes to use as seeds, and he is determined to plant more, probably two rows, next month. We will never have enough potatoes for our table and to serve to our guests’, but the few we unearth are so sweet and delicious!
To start with, in order to appreciate the pure flavor of our fresh potatoes I roasted some in parchment paper, simply rubbed with olive oil, with whole garlic and sprigs of thyme, as I had done last year using the famous French red potatoes from Laucourt, in Picardie.
We are certainly biased, but I dare say that our potatoes were equally delicious!
RECIPES:
Roasted Potatoes with Garlic, Lemon and Oregano will be particularity delicious with our fresh crop.
Potato Pie, my late mother in law’s perfect winter dish, will be even more irresistible!
