Wild Garlic Pesto Potato Salad

Introduction:

Wild Garlic grows in abundance throughout Wales, and brings a fantastic, strong flavour to dishes such as this amazing potato salad. This recipe was created for us by Deri Reed, Head Chef of ‘The Warren’ restaurant in Carmarthen. He was inspired by his garden, where he grows wild garlic to add flavour to a wide variety of dishes. This dish is simple, tasty and sure to impress at any summer party or lazy afternoon picnic!

Ingredients:

• 750 g Blas y Tir Baby Potatoes
• 90 g Wild Garlic
• 40 g Walnuts
• 30 g Blas y Tir Spring Onions
• 150ml Olive Oil
• 40 g Hard Cheese
• 0.5 tsp Salt
• 0.5 tsp Sugar
• Squeeze of Lemon

Method

1. Place the new potatoes in a pan of cold salted water and bring to the boil.
2. Simmer until cooked through, about 20-30 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the water and leave to cool slightly before slicing the potatoes.
3. Once the potatoes are mostly cool you can begin making the wild garlic pesto. Begin by toasting the walnuts in a dry frying pan for 3-4 minutes.
4. Dice the shallots, spring onions or chives roughly and add to a food processor. You can make this recipe without the help of a food processor, however your pesto will not be as smooth.
5. Add the wild garlic, olive oil, salt and sugar to the food processor and blitz for a good 20 seconds, until a smooth paste is formed.
6. Chop the toasted walnuts roughly and add to the food processor and pulse once or twice, just until the walnut have been mixed in. You want some larger chunks of walnuts as this adds great texture to the dish.
7. Grate the cheese into the mixture and use a spoon to incorporate. Add a squeeze of lemon to freshen the mixture.
8. Place the cooled and chopped potatoes into a large serving bowl and spoon the pesto mixture on top. Mix the pesto throughout the potatoes carefully, either by using salad tongs or shaking the bowl.
9. Serve and enjoy!

Top Tip

You can make this recipe in advance and serve just as you’re ready to eat – simply squeeze in the fresh lemon as you’re serving!

You can find out more about Deri Reed and ‘The Warren’ cafe and restaurant by visiting their website, here!