Piquant potato dips

Garlic, originally from China, obviously found it's second home in Greece. There surely isn't a cuisine that loves garlic more than Grecian fare. Looking through the collection of Greek recipes in my new book, the 'G' word appears very frequently. Less frequent is the appearance of capers, but I am almost as big a fan of the caper as garlic, so this post, you will see, left my tastebuds a tingle!

I've loved the idea of dips made from potato, and couldn't wait to try two potato-based dips I found in Vefa's Kitchen, by Vefa Alexiadou. This first recipe is much like the dips that are often presented at the Greek-Australian parties I have been fortunate enough to be invited to, the second is less familiar, though I did mess with it a little. More on that in a moment. First, to what I know as a traditional Greek Dip, Skordalia though it is called a sauce in the book, and in Greek it looks SO much prettier in print:

Garlic Sauce/Skordalia Me Psomi

5-6 garlic cloves (I used two huge home-grown ones)
3/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
2 potatoes (about 200g worth) cooked through
3/4 cup day old bread crumbs (about 50g worth)
4 tbsp red wine vinegar
5 tbsp water (I saved the potato cooking water - which is why I mention salt 'to taste' above)
1/2 cup olive oil (125ml)

Put the garlic cloves into a food processor and whizz them about until finely chopped. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth and thoroughly mixed together. If you find the sauce is still too thick, add some more water processing for a few seconds between each addition until you have the consistency you are looking for.

Makes about 500ml

I may have been a bit of a 'chicken' with the garlic, but I figured it would have enough of a kick with two big ones and I was right. This was The Lovely Man's favourite of the two spud-based dips, he made sure there was a lot gone by the time nibblies were over.

The second potato dip was the one I mess about with more. It's a dip from Syros, and it has capers as it's main ingredient. I adore capers but I cut back substantially.

Caper Dip from Syros/ Siriani Kaparosalata

2 potatoes cooked through
5 tbsp olive oil
60g drained capers (original recipe calls for 3/4 cup or 120g)
2 small fresh onion bulbs about the size of shallots, (one onion is required in original recipe)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 tbsp mayonnaise (double the recipe's original amount)
salt to taste
pepper to taste (and I used white pepper, as that was added to the original mayonnaise recipe)
freshly chopped parsley to garnish

Mash the potatoes before adding the the oil. Put the onions into a food processor with the capers and the vinegar and process until it turns into a paste. Stir this into the mashed potato mixture. Add the mayonnaise and seasonings. Put into a serving bowl and sprinkle over the parsley.

Makes about 500ml

Vefa suggests you can omit the mayo altogether and that you can also add dill pickles (I love that idea).

The children loved this dip especially. I think the full quota of capers would have been too much for them. As it was, they tucked in with gusto.



Both the dips were served with assorted vegetable crudites, and some lovely fresh flat bread. I made these and served them pretty much immediately. I am not sure, as there is no mention, of how they taste if made ahead.

Really happy with how both of these turned out, incredibly delicious - I'd almost feel confident enough to 'bring a plate' of these to a Greek-Australian party!