Food, Finds & Forays
Hey there....
Hey there and welcome to December! I love Christmas and am a very excited to see the arrival of the festive season. Is your tree up? I’m going to bust ours out this weekend, play some carols and maybe have a little special drink at hand while I decorate. Perhaps I’ll start the weekend with this one for brekky topped with this kicking off the month with something lite before all the deliciously rich indulgence begins.
Which leads me to this week’s recipe, a tasty tray of potatoes adorned with creamy garlic aioli and sizzling chunks of spicy chorizo. I’ve also found a couple of other dishes you might like to try for all that Christmas entertaining, all rich with flavour but mostly easy, leaving you enjoying hanging out with your loved ones.
Speaking of our special people I’ve found a lovely place to do some shopping for your Christmas list with a couple of other good ideas, especially if you’re in Melbourne this weekend.
Right! I’m off to crack open the chocolate advent calendar.
Have a great day,
S x
Food
Warm Chorizo & Potato Salad
So it’s the first of December, perhaps the official start of the silly season, or is it? More and more each year the season dawns ever earlier. Major sale days now have become major sale weeks with us all hunting bargains and smugly celebrating ticking off shopping lists. Company Christmas parties now dot squares in the November page of calendars and diaries. Christmas trees and decorations adorn our homes in November festooning every corner with festive cheer. And of course our social plans fill with all the annual Christmas catch ups with family and friends.
It's a funny thing really, we’re all so busy feeling like our personal bandwidth has reached capacity yet we feel compelled to load up even more. Don’t get me wrong, the social side of the festive season is actually one of my favourite parts of farewelling the year. Life, in the thick of the year is busy, we’re distracted by all the weekly commitments and demands on our time so making the effort to commit to moments with special people feels all the more precious. December seems to bring with it a slow sense of curtains slowly drawing to a close and an atmosphere well suited to a time of year marked by gatherings with loved ones. Likewise, a time of year here, where the weather mellows and warms and we’re drawn outside, dining under gently waving trees, warmed by sunshine and serenaded by birdsong and chirruping crickets. In amongst all these events though, life still tumbles along taking us with it. Indeed alongside this period of reunions can be a sense of frenetic lists to tick off. Work tasks to close out for the year, maybe holidays to pack and plan for and all the other commitments we feel compelled to fulfill. Would I change it? Not on your life! I love the atmosphere of all these fun lunches and dinner dates. We’re all a little reflective, reminiscing on all the milestones and events and hopefully excitedly looking towards what the year to come brings. Corks pop, barbecues sizzle, laughter fills the air and shoulders that have been set firm with tension start slowly descending.
In the midst of that festive paradox the last thing I need is to struggle with what to cook or bring to a dinner when asked to contribute while still trying to fill hungry tummies. Where I can keep it simple I will, relying on a few loved flavours and filling, hearty ingredients. Spuds, or potatoes more politely, are where it’s at aren’t they. No matter how they’re prepared, nearly everyone loves them, they’re cheap and filling and will be the thing that will get passed between diners the most. What better way to keep the conversation flowing and cater for everyone.
Ingredients:
1 kg potatoes unpeeled in large cubes/chunks**.
¼ c extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp smoked sweet/mild paprika
2 tsp dried oregano
Salt flakes
3-4 whole unpeeled garlic cloves, lightly bruised with a lite bash.
2 cured chorizo sausages chopped into large chunks
¼ c garlic aioli or sour cream (choose your own adventure) or more depending on you’re preference
2 spring onions sliced to serve
Method:
Preheat oven to 180c.
Line a large roasting tray or dish big enough to hold potatoes in a single layer. In a large bowl whisk together oil, paprika and oregano. Add the prepared potatoes and stir to coat well. Tumble the mixture in the lined baking tray and sprinkle with the salt flakes. Pop into the oven and bake 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, stir and sprinkle over the chopped chorizo and return to the oven for 15 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown and sausage caramelising on the edges.
Now here’s the choose your own adventure part. Dollop over the top either the garlic aioli or sour cream and sprinkle the sliced spring onions. We prefer the aioli, it’s just that little bit richer and we love the extra garlic flavour it imparts, however if you’d prefer a lighter flavour try sour cream. As it melts down over the warm potatoes it will melt into the flavoured oil now infused with the chorizo flavours and form a delicious sauce to scoop up and drizzle over whatever protein you’ve served alongside.
**Floury potatoes are usually preferred for baking but don’t get hung up on that, if you only have white or waxy potatoes just go with it, they’ll be fine.
Finds & Forays
How’s your Christmas shopping going? I’m getting there and mostly just have a few things to go. I love trying to think of interesting things to give people I love and especially love watching them open their gifts. I also love supporting small aussie owned businesses if I can, especially rurally based ones at the moment after everything our country cousins have been through. Have you seen this beautiful shopping hub? I love the curated collection of unique items to choose from and am particularly impressed by the range of prices from small to indulgent. And how handy is this kind of online shopping for gifts for loved ones further afield with the sending and wrapping done for you? On that note if you’re in Melbourne don’t forget this one. It kicks off Friday at the exhibition building with an incredible range of vendors.
Aside from warm chorizo and potato salad of course what other things are you planning for festive dins? For occasions when I need to prepare ahead, queue the good old aussie “bring a plate,” a cold potato salad is always a winner. I love this style. It reminds of the flavours I normally make though much creamier so would be lovely next to fish or seafood with the extra dressing making a lovely condiment for the protein. The eggs will make it a good one to serve where vegetarians are at the table too, though you guys know this anti coriander girl is gonna sub in parsley right? On the subject of shared table fare this one is right up my alley and is one of those dishes you can pop in the oven before guests arrive and then whip out with a flourish with all those rich aromas when everyone’s settled and ready to eat. Imagine that aroma wafting while you greet your guests. Oh and don’t forget this one for a make ahead totally delicious crowd pleaser desert with a Christmas twist.
Finally in the second instalment in my ongoing series titled, “things Sally wants for Christmas/Sally may or may not have bought herself for Christmas/is trying to resist buying herself for xmas.” If you’ve been here a while you may know about my love of this lady owned aussie label, which incidentally is also Australian made. Well check this new addition out!! I am in love.
