It’s a New World

To the cooks of the world, the potato is a great-tasting, convenient, versatile and wholesome food, and its agricultural adaptability has made it a major source of sustenance for the world’s population.

Contrary to what some people might think, the potato is not a culinary gift from the Irish or the French. It was, in fact, cultivated in the Andes long before Europeans began to explore South America. For that reason, the potato is one of the five elements included in an outstanding exhibit, “Seeds of Change,” which commemorates the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ voyages to the New World. The exhibit is being held at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington through April, 1993.

I am commemorating the potato by featuring a favorite dish of new red potatoes fried in olive oil and seasoned with rosemary and garlic. They’re wonderful served with a roast, but here I’ve made the crisp, hot potatoes part of a hearty main-dish salad. Select a variety of interesting lettuce and other greens, add crumbled goat cheese and round out the flavors with a garnish of sauteed mushrooms and sweet red pepper.

This salad serves four as a main dish, but a scaled-down version could be served as an appetizer. Finish the meal with another New World food--the strawberry. Here strawberries are topped with a whipped and sweetened swirl of ricotta cheese to make a light and delicious dessert.

FRIED NEW POTATOES WITH ROSEMARY

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 pounds small new red potatoes, washed and quartered or halved

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves

Coarse salt

Coarsely ground pepper

Heat olive oil in large non-stick skillet until hot enough to sizzle 1 piece of potato. Add potatoes and stir to coat with oil. Cover and cook over medium to medium-low heat, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat as needed, until potatoes are tender when pierced with tip of knife, about 15 minutes.

Uncover, increase heat to medium-high and fry potatoes, turning so they brown evenly, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with garlic and rosemary and toss to coat. Remove potatoes with slotted spoon to bowl. (Reserve oil for salad.) Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve as part of Salad of Fried New Potatoes With Rosemary and Goat Cheese or as side dish with meats, fish or poultry. Makes 4 servings.

Note : Whole cooked new red potatoes can also be used. Halve or quarter cooked potatoes. Omit step of cooking potatoes 15 minutes and fry potatoes in oil as described.

SALAD OF FRIED NEW POTATOES WITH ROSEMARY AND GOAT CHEESE

8 cups washed, trimmed and torn salad greens (chicory, Romaine, red leaf, spinach, Belgian endive and/or watercress)

Fried New Potatoes With Rosemary

Reserved olive oil used to fry potatoes

1 (3.5-ounce) package shiitake mushrooms or 1 cup thinly sliced white button mushrooms

1 tablespoon finely chopped Italian parsley

Salt

Coarsely ground pepper

1 small sweet red pepper, quartered, seeds and stems removed, cut into 1/8x1-inch slivers

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

Crostini

Wash and prepare salad greens and wrap in kitchen towel. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Prepare Fried New Potatoes With Rosemary.

Heat remaining olive oil in skillet used to fry potatoes. Add mushrooms and saute over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with half parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to side dish.

Add sweet red pepper to skillet and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Whisk together olive oil and lemon juice along with dash of salt in large bowl. Add greens and toss to coat. Distribute greens among 4 large plates. Sprinkle evenly with goat cheese.

Arrange potatoes over greens on plates and top with mushrooms and red pepper. Serve with Crostini on side while potatoes are still warm. Makes 4 servings.

Crostini

Day-old Italian bread

Olive oil

Cut bread into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Brush slices with olive oil to taste and arrange on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees 10 minutes. Turn bread and bake until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes more. Makes 4 servings.

STRAWBERRIES WITH SWEETENED RICOTTA

1/2 cup regular or part-skim milk ricotta cheese

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 pints strawberries, rinsed, hulled and sliced

1 teaspoon lime or lemon juice

Stir together ricotta cheese, 1 tablespoon sugar, orange zest and vanilla in small bowl. Cover and refrigerate.

Place strawberries, 1 teaspoon sugar and lime juice in serving bowl and stir to blend. Let stand, covered, at room temperature until ready to serve.

To serve, spoon berries into dessert dishes and top each with spoonful of ricotta mixture. Makes 4 servings.