Seven savory and healthy ideas to add zest to humble steamed or boiled potatoes. Any of these dressings is ready in less than ten minutes. A bonus for those who don't want to spend long in the kitchen.
Nearly magic dressings for steamed or boiled potatoes
Magically transform simple steamed or boiled potatoes into a delicacy with any of these dressings. You’ll find sweet, savory or hot sauces. Just choose. You will not go wrong: all the recipes are truly delicious. Marvelous with new potatoes steamed in their skins.
All the sauces are healthy options -nuts and olive oil, imagine- just as you remember not to overdo it. A bonus, most of these recipes work very well as dressing for a pasta salad or sauce for pasta. Try it!
Sesame seed and green chili dressing | top
Green chili and Tabasco in the list of ingredients. This one is hot.
Ingredients
1 3/4 (400 ml) ketchup
1 green chili, washed, deseeded and sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 Tbs sesame seeds, toasted
a few drops Tabasco
salt
sugar
Procedure
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Mix ketchup with garlic and chili, season with salt and sugar to taste, and finally, add the toasted sesame seeds. Ready to serve.
Preparation: 10 minutes
Servings: 6
Sesame and green chili dressing cooking tips
Toast sesame seeds in a non-stick pan, no need to use any cooking fat.
Ketchup is a great source of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant.
Feta cheese and black olives | top
Cheese and olives, the food for the ancient Greek gods.
Ingredients
3/4 lb (about 1¼ cup or 300 g) feta cheese, crumbled or finely diced
8 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup (200 ml) light cream
1/3 cup (75 g) pitted black olives, chopped
4 Tbs finely chopped chives
salt
pepper
Preparation: 10 minutes.
Servings: 6
Procedure
Mix cheese, cream and olive oil. Stir well. Add olives, mix and add chives. Season with salt and pepper. Stir a little more and serve.
Cooking tip: If you are handy with them, use a food processor to crumble and chop cheese, olives and chives, then mix cream and olive oil. Only a few pulses, you want a chunky dressing, not a paste.
Nut sauce | top
This one is really a cold, creamy pasta sauce. It should come out as a pale green puree.
Ingredients
4-6 sprigs fresh marjoram, only the leaves, stems discarded
3/4 cup (100 g) shelled nuts
1/2 cup (100 ml) light cream
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Preparation: 10 minutes.
Servings: 6
Procedure
Use a food processor or blender to chop the nuts finely together with the marjoram and blend the cream in. You would have a paste, add enough olive oil to make it a puree, season and ready to serve.
Nut sauce c ooking tips
- If you don’t have marjoram, use 6-8 sprigs parsley. Parsley’s flavor blends beautifully with the nuts and cream.
- Add 1 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese for extra flavor.
- This is my version of the Italian salsa di noci, usually served with tagliatelle or with simple vegetables like celery.
- To use this sauce with spaghetti, cook the pasta, drain, and sautee in 2 Tbs butter. Pour the sauce on top. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese or serve it on the side. This recipe will yield enough for 4 servings.
Beetroot, yogurt, and smoked salmon | top
Sweet and smoky flavor on those steamed potatoes.
Ingredients
1 cup (250 g) natural yogurt
1 cup (250 g) cream cheese or cottage cheese
1/2 cup diced cooked beetroot
2 spring onions or scallions, finely chopped
1/2 tsp sugar
2 Tbs fresh dill leaves
1/2 cup (75 g) smoked salmon or trout, coarsely chopped
salt
pepper
Preparation: 10 minutes.
Servings: 6
Procedure
Mix yogurt, cheese, beetroot and scallion, season to taste with salt, pepper and a little sugar, finally, add dill and smoked fish.