This story is part of On Repeat, a series in which we ask top chefs, cookbook authors, and other famous foodies about the dishes they just can’t quit.
For this week’s edition of On Repeat, we talked with Lauren McGrath, a caterer and event planner who runs the Hamilton Heights Food Coop in New York, about a wildly delicious side she keeps in regular rotation: garlicky roasted potato salad. The dish is a riff on Spanish patatas bravas, a tapas mainstay of potatoes with a creamy garlic aioli dipping sauce. “Normally the potatoes are deep fried, and that’s not something I do very often,” McGrath says.
Why I love it
“With most potato salad recipes you boil the potatoes, but roasting really brings out a different flavor that’s got more personality than your basic boiled potato. Roasting gives it a caramel-y and smoky flavor. (Sometimes I add some smoked paprika to accentuate that.)
“It’s a bold side dish; it’s not just a filler. It can stand on its own with other tapas or mezze—it doesn’t have to be just a side. It’s super popular for catering; I make a ton of it and it’s usually the thing people comment on the most, because it’s so delicious.”
What I’ve changed
“I’ve made it with yogurt instead of mayonnaise for people who are anti-mayonnaise. I also add plenty of chopped herbs: Parsley is a good foil for the garlic (the sauce is very garlicky). Oregano is also nice, or part oregano and part parsley. I’ve even added some jarred roasted piquillo peppers. Or for a little crunch, finely chopped fresh red bell pepper.
“One important change I make to the recipe: It says to flip the potatoes a couple of times, but one shouldn’t. Leave them alone so they get really nicely browned on one side (the cut side). And I make sure to roast the potatoes the day I’m going to use them, because if they’ve been refrigerated they won’t have the same flavor and texture.”
What else I’m into right now
Repurposing radish greens. I never throw away my radish greens anymore: I make radish-green pesto, sauté them for use in a Greek-style pie or a soup, or freeze them for those uses. If you feel something’s going to go to waste, you can simply cook them so they’re ready for you when you’re ready for them.
Domestic porcini mushrooms. I had the best porcini dish ever the other day, made with domestic porcinis. They were so good—probably the best mushroom I’ve ever eaten. We sliced them and used a little leftover white wine and shallots and chive flowers, and we put it over pasta. The flavor of the mushrooms is amazing.
Pickling everything. I frequently do a quick pickle of peppers, radishes, carrots, cabbage, cucumber, or anything else that might be going to waste in my refrigerator. I cut them into small slices and fill a jar and make a brine of half water and half either apple cider vinegar or whatever vinegar I have, salt to taste—more than you think!—and possibly a little sugar and spices like coriander seeds, cumin seed, or black peppercorns.