July 4th Red White & Blue Potato Salad recipe

June 26, 9:51 AMBoston Food Mom ExaminerLeah Klein

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Red, white and blue potatoes, picked yesterday, from
Chef Kara Brooks' garden. (Still River Café)

Red, White & Blue Potato Salad for July 4th

Kara Brooks, Chef/Owner, of the Still River Café, shares a favorite recipe handed down by her grandmother. Kara is adding some color to the original recipe with organic red, white and blue potatoes grown in the gardens at Still River Cafe.

“This recipe is from my grandmother on my German side, and is the best warm potato salad I’ve ever had.  I loved it whenever she would make it for us.  This year we’ll be preparing it with the red, white and blue fingerling potatoes Bob is growing in our gardens!” Kara explains. 

Kara says if you don’t have blue fingerlings growing in your gardens, never fear – you can search out purple Peruvian potatoes at your local farmers market for a nice substitute.

Red, White & Blue Warm Potato Salad/Kara Brooks, Still River Cafe 
(8 Servings)

Ingredients

2  pounds Rose Finn fingerlings
2 pounds Russian Blue potatoes
2 pounds Russian banana fingerlings
8 ounces applewood smoked bacon lardons
1 cup chopped sweet onion
¼ cup chopped shallots
6 tablespoons champagne vinegar
10 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup sliced scallions
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 T each  minced parsley and minced chives

Method

1. Cover potatoes in a stockpot with cold water; bring up to a boil and simmer until tender, about ten minutes.  To keep the colors vibrant, cook separately and add a tablespoon of vinegar when cooking the blue potatoes. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut into ¼ inch rounds.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, begin making the dressing. Heat a medium saute pan and render the bacon lardons until crispy.
3. Remove the bacon, reserving the fat. 
4. Add the onions and shallots and caramelize.
5. Mix the bacon, onions and shallots with the potatoes.
6. Add the vinegar and mustard to the pan. 
7. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. 
8. Mix vinaigrette with potatoes and garnish with herbs and scallions. 
9. Season with salt and pepper. 
10. Serve warm.

About Still River Café and their Gardens 

Bob and Kara Brooks own Still River Café and its 27 acres of forests, gardens, meadows, and ponds dotted with rambling stone walls. Kara is found in the kitchen, a self taught chef whipping up new menus nightly, celebrating the bounty of their organic gardens.  Bob is in charge of the gardens, but is quick to point out it is “a chef-directed garden.  I plant whatever Kara wants to cook. She pours over seed catalogues and recipes, makes plans for the seasons, and then it’s up to me to grow it all!” The gardens provide 95% of what is served at Still River Café throughout the entire year.  The rest of the dairy and meat and fish products are all sourced locally.
Still River earned the coveted “Extraordinary” from the New York Times when it opened two years ago and is a foodie destination in the middle of nowhere, which actually is part of its charm.  Boston Magazine deemed it “The Best Foodie Destination Worth The Drive in New England,” New England Travel & Life named it “Editor’s Choice” and Connecticut Magazine awarded it as “Best Hidden Gem in all of CT.”