Abercrombie & Feast

Hello out there!  I’ve been absent for almost a month.  Goodness, I’ve missed my little blog.  My absence is mostly due to a malfunction in my blog which took a while to figure out, but we’ve also been super busy.  My brother has been here from the US, we’ve been travelling almost every weekend and the sun has been appearing with alarming frequency so we’ve been in the park soaking it up.

Now, none of this is a good enough reason to have missed my blog-birthday.  About 5 days ago this blog turned two years old.  Two years of pictures and food and writing and sharing.  It’s really been so much fun.  I look to this little space as my creative outlet after a day at work and running errands and all the little boring things that make up Monday-Friday life for most of us.  This is where I can come and be silly and no one minds.  This is where I can show the world what I ate for dinner and no one thinks I’m weird.

So, to celebrate my blog-birthday and my return to this happy little space, I threw a BBQ.  Have I ever mentioned how much I adore a good BBQ??  I’m a BBQ fan from WAY back… on summer nights in Georgia our friendly neighbourhood almost always smelled of charcoal and barbecue sauce.  Home grown tomatoes topped juicy burgers and blackened hot dogs were topped with cool, creamy coleslaw. 

Then, when we moved to Sydney, AU I really learned about the proper art of BBQ.  Sydney-siders are serious about BBQ… and there is a system.  The rule is that the women all hang out in the kitchen making the salads and the men all hang out by the barbie grilling the meat.  These lines are not to be crossed… unless by a woman delivering a beer to a man at the barbie.  It’s strict, but fair. 

And, now we’re here in England.  The English seem really keen on BBQ’s even though the weather here doesn’t generally lend itself to outdoor cooking.  But, the weather so far this summer has been pretty sunny, so I took full advantage and staged a BBQ birthday party for my blog.  We don’t really have a yard, so the BBQ-ing took place on a disposable BBQ on the sidewalk in front of our flat.  Where there’s a will….

If you’re planning a BBQ this summer, in honour of your blog or just because it’s sunny where you live, I encourage you to serve this potato salad alongside your grilled goods.  This salad is fresh and bright and full of tangy lemon zest and juice.  It makes a lovely side with grilled chicken or fish.  It’s not a cake and there are no candles to blow out, but a potato salad this good makes everything feel like a celebration.  Happy blog-birthday to me! 

Lemony Potato Salad
adapted from Gourmet magazine

Serves 4
1 1/2 lbs (750grams) boiling potatoes
1/2 cup diced celery
3 tbs mayo
1/4 cup plain yoghurt
2 tbs chopped chives
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Chop the potatoes into bite sized pieces.  Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water and a few tablespoons of salt and bring to a boil.  Boil until tender (12-20 minutes) then drain and rinse with cold water- you want to stop the potatoes from cooking.

While the potatoes are cooking, chop the celery and make the dressing.  For the dressing, mix the mayo, plain yoghurt, chives, lemon zest and lemon juice together.  Taste and add salt and pepper as needed (I added about a tsp of salt.)

Once the potatoes have cooled completely, add the celery and the dressing and toss to coat well.  Serve topped with extra chopped chives.