the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Smashed (Resistant) Potato Salad with Italian Sausage and Aioli

Today’s Smashed (Resistant) Potato Salad with Italian Sausage and Aioli is posted in homage to the upcoming Memorial Day weekend; at least in years past this was most often a time we’d meet with friends in somebody’s big backyard to grill, play volleyball, and cultivate our early season sunburns and tall tale telling abilities.

I truly hope you’re scheduled to spend time with friends and family this weekend, and have some great food on the menu.

My other intent in posting this recipe was to remind folks of the health benefits of resistant starches, and share a recipe using potatoes – something that most of us eating lower carb tend to avoid in lieu of better choices. Don’t forget that cooked and cooled potatoes are a wonderful source of resistant starch, and here’s another great summer recipe to throw in the resistant starches are good pile…

This is a hearty potato salad, in fact my wife thinks it’s a meal in itself given the inclusion of a hearty Italian sausage (buy or make some quality fresh sausage); the aioli adds a load of healthy fats and a truckload of rich flavor as well.

I can’t imagine this without the dusting of ancho chile powder, but by all means consider that optional, and while the aioli recipe might sound complicated (if you’re not making mayo at home already), it’s a piece of cake.

Enjoy your long weekend.

Roughly 2 lb red-skinned potatoes, trimmed
Kosher salt

1/4 cup + up to 1/2 cup avocado oil, divided
1 medium sweet onion, chopped fine
1 small poblano pepper, stemmed, seeded, chopped small
3/4 pound fresh hot Italian sausage, casings removed
2 large egg yolks
1 large garlic clove, finely grated
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 to 1 tbsp ancho chile powder
3-4 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced on the diagonal

Prep the spuds, place in a large pot and cover with cold water; season liberally with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer under tender (20-25 minutes). Drain, let cool in a colander, then throw in the fridge for at least overnight and preferably 24 hours.

On the day you’re making the salad, preheat the oven to 450 and remove the spuds from the fridge.

Heat 1/4 cup of avocado oil in a skillet over medium high heat, then add the onions and poblanos and cook until they’re beginning to soften (about 5 minutes). Add the sausage, and breaking it up with a spoon cook until well-browned and cooked through (6-8 minutes). Now transfer the sausage to a fine meshed sieve placed over a measuring cup and let the oil drain; press on the solids occasionally – you’re looking for roughly 1/4 cup of sausage oil. Add up to 1/2 cup more avocado oil to get to 3/4 cup.

Now it’s time to make an aioli, and you have two options. Classically, you would combine the egg yolks, grated garlic, and a teaspoon of water in a bowl, then slowly whisk in the sausage oil until thickened and smooth (adding the lemon juice at the very end, along with salt to taste).

Alternatively, combine the egg yolks, grated garlic, a tsp of water, and the lemon juice in a small cylindrical container just bigger than the head of your immersion blender, add the oil all at once, and then use your immersion blender to quickly whip up your aioli (my preferred method, and the one we use for making mayo here). Set the aioli aside (I threw it in the fridge as my kitchen was warm that day…)

Now smash the spuds with either your palm or a coffee mug bottom; you don’t want to totally destroy the integrity of each potato, but create some cracks and tears and flatten them a bit. Drizzle with a couple of tbsp of avocado or olive oil, season generously with salt, and throw in the oven until crispy and golden brown in spots and especially along the edges (25-28 minutes, turn once).

Now to finish things up – combine the roasted spuds, the sausage mixture and half the aioli in a large bowl and stir to mix well. Spread the remaining aioli on a platter, top with the mixture in the bowl, sprinkle with the ancho chile powder and the chopped green onions.

Enjoy.