Saturday brought me some wonderful finds at our local farmers market. I have been coming up with some tasty recipes this week!

One of my favorite growers showed up with bags of blue and white potatoes, dug up the night before. How could I pass that up? A potato salad seemed like a great project and I loved this one. Over the years I have never made a ‘great’ potato salad, most were barely passable. This one was different. Was it super fresh potatoes? Organic mayonnaise? Clean pickles? Honey? I don’t know but it was the salad I had long craved. And no bitter celery seed to be seen!

Blue and White Potato Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 lb blue potatoes
• 1 lb white potatoes
• 2 large or 4 smaller stalks celery, diced
• 12 slices bread and butter pickles, diced
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp honey mustard
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp granulated garlic
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

Directions:

Wash the potatoes and place in a large saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Boil gently until fork tender, drain and cool. Peel with the edge of a paring knife, cut into chunks, add to a large mixing bowl. Add the celery and pickles.

Whisk the dressing ingredients together, add to the potatoes and stir to coat.

Refrigerate covered or if desired serve warm.

Buy smaller beets, they are usually more tender than over sized ones which can get “woody”. But do buy them! And eat them!

Beet Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown rice
• Pinch of fine sea salt
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 sweet onion, peeled and diced
• 1 bunch beets, peeled and trimmed, diced
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 15 ounce can cannellini or white beans, rinsed and drained
• Juice from ½ large lemon or 1 small lemon
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp parsley, dried or fresh, minced
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• 2 Tbsp white whole wheat flour
• ¼ tsp each fine sea salt and ground black pepper
• Cooking oil, used sunflower

Directions:

Bring a large saucepan of water to boil, add a pinch of salt and the rice, cover mostly, turn down to a simmer and cook for 40 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the teaspoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high, add the onion and turn to medium. Saute until softened, then add the beets. Cover and let cook until they are tender, stirring periodically. Take off the lid, add the garlic, cook for 30 seconds and then swirl the vinegar in to deglaze the skillet. Take off the heat.

Mash the beans in a large mixing bowl till mostly smooth, add the hot rice and vegetables, lemon juice, remaining olive oil and all the spices. Taste if it needs more salt, then add the flour, stirring till it mixes in. Divide into 6 balls, flatten into patties.

Let rest in the refrigerator for an hour or two, remove 30 minutes before cooking.

I used 2 skillets to cook with, as I wanted to eat all at once, though it can be done in 2 batches. A stainless steel or cast iron skillet works better than non-stick. Heat the skillets over medium-high, add a Tablespoon or so of oil to each pan, add 3 burgers to each pan. Cook for 3 minutes, flip over and cook for another 3 minutes.

Makes 6 burgers.

I was inspired to make this side dish with some vibrant yellow zucchini balls I can find:

Zucchini Parmesan Bake

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs small summer squash, used yellow zucchini balls
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup fresh bread crumbs
• 2 tsp Italian bread seasoning
• ½ cup finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 cup marinara sauce
• ½ cup mozzarella cheese, diced (4 cheese-sticks worth….)
• Additional Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450° and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the zucchini into coins, about 1/3″ thick. Add to a large bowl and toss with the olive oil to coat.

Mix the bread crumbs, cheese, herbs and pepper in a bowl. Dredge each slice in the breadcrumbs, place on the baking sheet. If there is any left over topping, sprinkle across the wheels.

Bake for 25 minutes. Remove and lower the oven to 400°.

Add 1/3 cup of the marinara sauce to an 8×8″ glass baking dish, spread across. Make a layer of zucchini slice, dot a bit of sauce on each piece and 1/3 of the cheese, along with a sprinkling of more Parmesan. Repeat the layers, ending with cheese on top. Bake for 15 minutes, let rest for a couple of minutes, slice and serve.

Serves 4 to 6.

~Sarah