Potato & Garlic Scape Salad
We've been getting quite a few garlic scapes in our CSA box each week. In case you aren't sure what they are, I found this good explanation on the http://www.feelslikehomeblog.com/:
What is a Garlic Scape?
I never heard of garlic scapes before they came in our box from our CSA. Apparently, garlic scapes are the shoots that garlic bulbs send up as they’re growing. Garlic bulbs want to become garlic plants, so they send up green things like onions do.
Farmers harvest these shoots so that the plant uses its energy to make a bigger bulb instead of making a bigger plant. That’s how plants work. Instead of throwing the sprouts in the compost pile, our farmers send them out in the CSA boxes. I’ve heard you can also buy them at some farmer’s markets or directly from farmers who grow garlic.
Garlic scapes definitely taste like garlic, but the flavor is very mild. They’re like garlic essence, without the bite you back quality of a clove of garlic
Now that you know what they are, there's still the issue of what to do with them. You can chop them up and use them in eggs, stir fries, salads, etc.
I found the recipe I'm posting on a number of web sites. Its a nice easy potato salad that I served with turkey burgers.
1 1/4 pound of cubed potatoes
2 stalks celery, chopped fine
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped garlic scapes (only use the green part of the scape)
1/4 cup cup finely chopped red onion or shallot (I used shallots)
Dressing
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup light mayonaise
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salt & pepper to taste
Cook potatoes in boiling salted water until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and place in bowl. Add celery. Saute garlic scapes and shallots in olive oil for about 5 minutes until shallots are softened and scapes are tender-crisp. Add to potatoes and celery.
Whisk together buttermilk, mayonaise, 1 tablespoon dill and mustard. Pour dressing over potato mixture and stir gently to coat. Garnish with remaining dill. Refrigerate until ready to serve. If the salad has absorbed all the dressing add a bit more buttermilk.
What is a Garlic Scape?
I never heard of garlic scapes before they came in our box from our CSA. Apparently, garlic scapes are the shoots that garlic bulbs send up as they’re growing. Garlic bulbs want to become garlic plants, so they send up green things like onions do.
Farmers harvest these shoots so that the plant uses its energy to make a bigger bulb instead of making a bigger plant. That’s how plants work. Instead of throwing the sprouts in the compost pile, our farmers send them out in the CSA boxes. I’ve heard you can also buy them at some farmer’s markets or directly from farmers who grow garlic.
Garlic scapes definitely taste like garlic, but the flavor is very mild. They’re like garlic essence, without the bite you back quality of a clove of garlic
Now that you know what they are, there's still the issue of what to do with them. You can chop them up and use them in eggs, stir fries, salads, etc.
I found the recipe I'm posting on a number of web sites. Its a nice easy potato salad that I served with turkey burgers.
1 1/4 pound of cubed potatoes
2 stalks celery, chopped fine
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped garlic scapes (only use the green part of the scape)
1/4 cup cup finely chopped red onion or shallot (I used shallots)
Dressing
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup light mayonaise
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salt & pepper to taste
Cook potatoes in boiling salted water until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and place in bowl. Add celery. Saute garlic scapes and shallots in olive oil for about 5 minutes until shallots are softened and scapes are tender-crisp. Add to potatoes and celery.
Whisk together buttermilk, mayonaise, 1 tablespoon dill and mustard. Pour dressing over potato mixture and stir gently to coat. Garnish with remaining dill. Refrigerate until ready to serve. If the salad has absorbed all the dressing add a bit more buttermilk.
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