Tuna, New Potato and Salsa Verde Salad

I often get emails from people asking me what kind of food I would recommend for lunch.  And by lunch I don’t mean a laid back spread for more than two, beginning at lunchtime and ending at some point in the afternoon.  I, or rather, they, mean lunch at the office, sat at your desk, or out and about, sat on a patch of grass somewhere desperately pointing towards the sun, or in the car with half an hour to spare.  Lunch can be tricky, with so few restaurants and shops catering to food sensitivities, it is often easier, and certainly safer, to make your own.  I tend to keep lunch simple, unless I’m entertaining; salads, wraps, soups are all perfect lunchtime food.  As are leftovers from the night before, revamped into an exciting new meal – though I know this is contentious, some people being averse to leftovers in any form, though I can’t think why, personally.  You can find recipes for Corn Tortilla wraps or Flatbreads in my book, perfect for combining with Carrot and Fennel Salad and hummus, or cooked chicken and homemade pesto or avocado and smoked ham with alittle onion marmalade to add punch.  The combinations are, at the least, generous and if you have such a dish, plus a bowl of warming soup, then I’d call it a lunchtime feast.  Equally, a little something baked at the beginning of the week can offer you a treat for each day.  As in all aspects of life, if you’re a little bit organised and pre-prepared, an allergy-free lunch can be a easy, nourishing and most importantly, delicious thing.

This gloriously simple salad is packed full of flavour and I think the perfect thing to take in a tub for your midday meal.  Good quality tuna – and safely caught – new potatoes and the intense, fragrant piquancy of salsa verde are a sublime combination.  Pair it with a handful of green leaves, rocket especially, and some finely sliced sundried tomatoes and I’d call it a triumph.  At this time of year I would highly recommend Jersey Royles for your choice of potato, they’re the first in season and really delicious, although a little pricey.  But as the good people at Eat the Seasons say ‘Look at it this way; Jersey Royals aren't cheap, but the potatoes you'll be eating for the other ten months of the year are, so treat yourself!’  They make a good point, I think.

TUNA, NEW POTATO AND SALSA VERDE SALAD

Serves 2 for lunch or 4 as part of a larger spread

For the salsa verde

A bunch of flat-leaf parsley

A bunch of chives

A small bunch of mint

3 tbsp capers, rinsed

The juice and zest of ½ a lemon

5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

400g new potatoes

160g good quality tuna in spring water or olive oil, drained

Place the parsley, chives and mint leaves in a food processor.   Add the capers, lemon juice and zest and olive oil.  Blitz until you have a coarse pasted and then transfer to a bowl.  Alternatively, finely chop the herbs and capers and mix together with the oil and lemon juice.  Chill the salsa verde until ready to use.

Cut the potatoes into halves or quarters, depending on their size, you want them to be in small, bite size chunks.  Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and add the new potatoes – when cooking potatoes it’s a good rule to know that if they are old potatoes you should place them in cold water and then bring to the boil before timing, whereas, when cooking new potatoes, you should add them to already boiling water and then time. 

Gently boil the potatoes until tender to a knife point – around 8-10 minutes - and then drain.  Transfer the new potatoes to a large serving bowl, flake in the tuna and then spoon over the salsa verde.  Fold together until evenly mixed and serve.

Spiced Potato Salad

Now is the time for those glorious new potatoes, the jersey royal, to make themselves known.  In my earlier years, I really didn’t hold a candle for new potatoes.  Others would rave about the new season, my sister would fight people for the last new potato and general celebration was had when they were served for supper.  I didn’t understand it.  Why have a new potato when you could have a roast potato, mashed potato or, and possibly my all time favourite, a baked potato?  What was the big deal, I thought.  How wrong I was.  I don’t know when it happened, maybe when my diet changed to that of cleaner, fresher foods or maybe my taste buds just grew up, but there came a day when I saw the light and discovered the utter pleasures of eating new season, new potatoes.  Because seriously people: they are truly delicious.

I won’t even pretend to you that the perfect way of eating a crop of new potatoes isn’t to simply steam or boil them until tender, a sprig of mint in their midst and then serve, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and a scattering of sea salt.  They’re like asparagus in that way: the simpler the better.  But if you fancy ringing the changes, or want to up the fragrancy a little, then this recipe is a winner.  A light, creamy spiced dressing coats the sweet, tender potatoes while the sliced radishes add a lovely peppery crunch; this salad is a good thing to serve for lunch on these sunny day’s we’ve been having and makes a delicious meal when served with cold roast chicken and a bowl full of fresh watercress.

INDIAN SPICED POTATO SALAD

Serves 4

1kg/2lb 2oz new potatoes – Jersey Royals being the current seasonal best

6 radishes

For the dressing

6 tbsp oat cream

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp mild curry powder

½ tsp garam masala

A small bunch of coriander

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the new potatoes and boil until tender to a knife point – this will take 15 – 20 minutes.  Slice the potatoes into halves and quarters, depending on their size – you want them to be in about 2cm chunks.

Trim the radishes, then slice into fine rounds and finely chop the coriander.  Mix the potatoes and radishes together in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Next, make the dressing by whisking together the oat cream and olive oil and then stirring in the curry powder, garam masala, coriander and a little seasoning to taste.  Pour the dressing over the potatoes and stir through to ensure that they are well coated and then serve.