Skordalia - Greek Potato Dip

This is another of those extremely simple dishes that beg for the best quality ingredients or it just won't taste that good.  I can already see a few people turning up their noses at the idea of a potato dip but, believe me, this is really a very tasty dish that's so simple to make.

It's one of those dishes that you will find all over Greece as part of a mezze platter or as an accompaniment to poached fish or roast lamb.  I made it the other day for the first time and tried it out on the family - this was Leila's (9) comment as she wiped the bowl clean "This is a winner Nanma - have you put it on the blog yet"?

NOTE: Very important - the potatoes have to be the non-waxy variety that you can mash to a very smooth paste - Desiree or Royal Blue are perfect.

Royal Blue potatoes.  I am in love with these - they just have the most fabulous texture for roasting and you can get them really crispy.

600g potatoes  Cooked whole and then peeled

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Juice of 1 lemon - about 1/4 cup

Sea salt

1/2 - 3/4 cup good extra virgin olive oil

A tray of Royal Blues I was preparing for roasting - par-boiled first and finished off in a high oven with duck fat and rosemary.  You can see their yellow rich texture.

METHOD

Blend together the cooked and peeled potatoes with all the ingredients to a smooth consistency.  (In restaurants they put the potatoes through a ricer - I don't have one, but I find it works just as well like this).  That's it!

TO SERVE

As part of a mezze plate I serve them with toasted pita bread (stale is best) or crudités (raw vegetable sticks).

NOTE:  Skordalia  (σκορδαλιά).  Another way to serve this, which is also very common in Greece, is not with potatoes but with stale bread that has been soaked in water and ground almonds or walnuts - again to make a thick paste with lemon juice, garlic and olive oil.