EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN MASHED POTATOES WITH GARLIC AND LEMON

EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN MASHED POTATOES WITH GARLIC AND LEMON

Serves 4.

Note: Potatoes can be made a day ahead, refrigerated and then reheated in a shallow baking dish in a 350-degree oven, or in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Do not add lemon juice until just before serving. This recipe doubles easily. I prefer to use the kind of potatoes normally used in salads, the waxy type as opposed to dry, fluffy-style russet potatoes. Their slightly sweet taste and moist texture work well with these seasonings.

• 3 to 31/2 lb. small to medium-sized "boiling" potatoes (Yellow Finns, or red-skins), left unpeeled but scrubbed and trimmed of any black dots

• Water

• Good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil

• 6 large garlic cloves, cut in to

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Grated zest of 1/2 large lemon

• Generous pinch hot red pepper flakes

• Generous 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

• Juice of the large lemon

Pour water into a 6- to 8-quart pot so that it's about 2 inches deep. Set a steamer basket or a metal colander in the pot. Cover, bring the water to a boil, and add the potatoes. Cover the pot again and steam the potatoes 20 to 30 minutes, or until they show only a little resistance when pierced with a knife.

While potatoes cook, film the bottom of a 12-inch straight-sided sauté pan with olive oil. Add the garlic with some salt and pepper. Sauté over very low heat, covered, until the garlic is soft. Check to make sure the garlic doesn't brown. Toward the end of cooking, stir in the lemon zest, pepper flakes and oregano. Remove the pan from the heat.

When potatoes are done and are still hot, peel them and add them to the sauté pan. With a potato masher or fork, crush the potatoes, making them as rough or smooth as you please. Blend in the contents of the pan. Taste for seasoning and keep hot. Just before serving, squeeze the lemon juice over the potatoes and blend it in.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories286Fat3 gSodium24 mg

Protein6 gCholesterol0 mgDietary fiber8 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 4 bread/starch, 1/2 fat.

NEAPOLITAN POTATO CAKE

Serves 2 to 3 as a one-dish supper; 4 as a side dish.

• 2/3 c. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, or Asiago

• Good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/4 medium onion, finely chopped

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 3 to 5 slices of hard or Genoa salami, finely chopped

• 2 canned tomatoes, crushed

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Oil a deep 1-quart baking dish. Blend half the cheese into the potatoes. Then spread half the potatoes to cover the bottom of the baking dish.

Film the bottom of a 10-inch skillet with olive oil. Heat over medium-high and sauté the onion with salt and pepper until softened. Add salami and cook until onions are golden. Stir in the tomatoes and cook another 2 minutes, or until the mixture smells rich. Add the vegetable and heat through. Taste for seasoning.

Spread the vegetables over the potatoes, top with the rest of the mashed potatoes and then the cheese. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes, or until hot to the center. Serve hot.

Nutrition information per serving:

Carbohydrates44 gSaturated fat5 gCalcium300 mg

Protein15 gCholesterol20 mgDietary fiber7 g