Lemon and rosemary roast potato salad

The first working week of 2015 had just zoomed past. It's been so long since I last blogged. For a long time, I have been considering whether to continue blogging or to retire from blogging. Many a time, blogging has taken a strain as it's not just about prepping, thinking what to cook/bake, it's also about editing and writing the post and many more. Yes I may not give the best pictures like step by step. But imagine, just writing the post and giving the best final shot of the food picture does take up a lot of time and with step by step pictures, that would take even more time. 

However, by thinking about this, I was also reminded of why I started this blog in the first place. It was not to join the bandwagon of social media and neither was it to gain fame. I wanted to have a record of all the cooks, bakes and thoughts I have in case one day, I want to remember what I cooked, I can look back to my blog and tell myself, yes I've cooked this and I want to improve this further, or yes I've cooked this and this is indeed the flavour I have tasted and want to revisit again. Maybe one day, my future generation will be able to look back at this blog (if it's still existing then) and know how to cook or bake something. This was probably an idea that surfaced as I regretted not learning from my maternal grandmother when she was alive. Whatever she put on the table may be simple but it's simply delish and it tells of her heritage. Till this day, no one in our family is able to replicate exactly what she has cooked. It's really a pity.

Nevertheless, I've decided and want to still be committed to this blog. This is a promise I made to myself. Haha!! Everyone usually makes new year resolutions. I think this resolution of mine is probably a resolution that I revisit each year. Hopefully this year I will have even better tasting food for Mr G, friends and colleagues and of course, family ;)

For 2015, this is my first post and trust me, I have so many backposts coming up. Please be patient with me.

So let's get down to the real deal.

With I Heart Cooking Clubs, we are having our January Mystery Box Madness. This time, the ingredients we can choose from are:

Potatoes

Buttermilk

Flour

Paprika

Onion

Leafy Greens (any kind)

Lemon

Honey

Prawns/Shrimps

Feta

This time, I'm choosing Potatoes, Lemon and Onion.

I browsed and came upon one of Diana Henry's easy peasy but yet yummy recipes. So if you already scanned the words 'easy peasy', you are on the right track. This recipe came from The Telegraph. See my modifications in blue.

Ingredients:

650g (1lb 7oz) waxy baby potatoes 
chopped leaves from 2 sprigs rosemary 
juice of ½ lemon I used 1 lemon
1½ tbsp olive oil 
250g (9oz) green beans, topped but not tailed 
2 shallots, finely sliced lengthways I chopped the shallots

some fried shallots

Salad sauce:

smidgen of Dijon mustard I used about 1/2 tsp
1 small garlic clove, grated to a purée 
1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar I used white vinegar instead
1 tsp lemon juice 
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 
3 tbsp whipping cream

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 210°C/415°F/gas mark 6½ 180°C. Put the potatoes into a roasting-tin large enough to hold them in a single layer. Add the rosemary and lemon juice, drizzle with olive oil, season and toss. Roast for about 45 40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and golden. Shake the potatoes around a bit while cooking – dark, crusty edges are especially nice.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the dressing. Put the mustard, garlic, balsamic and lemon juice into a small bowl and whisk together with a fork. Season and whisk in the oil followed by the cream. Check for seasoning – it might seem slightly strong but it's going to dress potatoes so needs to balance them.
3. Remove the potatoes from the oven and let them cool for five minutes or so. During this time steam or boil the beans for three to four minutes or until slightly tender but still al dente. Rinse in cold water, drain and gently pat dry with a clean tea towel.
4. Combine the potatoes and green beans with the shallots in a broad, shallow bowl. Drizzle on half the dressing and very gently toss together. Drizzle the rest of the dressing on the top of the salad, and serve immediately.

This serves as a salad that can be used for brunch and is quite fuss-free. You can literally put the potatoes into the oven, get busy with your stuff and then come back again when the potatoes are almost done. I love how good the roasted potatoes smell. Psst, my neighbour asked me, what were you cooking earlier? It smelled so good. It must have been the rosemary and potatoes ;) This is a light but yet filling dish, good enough for me as the acidity from the lemon and vinegar made it very refreshing along with the heartwarming fragrance of the rosemary.

I'm submitting this post to I Heart Cooking Clubs - January Mystery Box Madness.

I'm also submitting this post to Cooking with Herbs January 2015.