May is often referred to as the ‘Hungry Gap’ in British farming and horticulture. Winter crops are mostly finished, whilst the delights of summer produce are still a few months away. But that doesn’t mean that there’s no home-grown or locally sourced ingredients you can enjoy at this time of year.
With the ever-increasing importance of reducing our carbon footprint, eating locally and seasonally is an easy step towards eating more sustainably. As we head towards May, we’d recommend celebrating the humble Jersey Royal potato in your cooking. To inspire your senses, here’s a recipe for a warm asparagus and potato salad, the perfect accompaniment to a spring barbecue.
Ingredients:
150g Jersey Royals
A small bunch of asparagus
A drizzle of olive oil
1 clove of garlic
The zest and juice of half a small lemon
A handful of fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
- Roughly chop your potatoes into bite sized pieces. Add them to a pot of cold, salted water on the stove and bring to a boil. Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until softened throughout (they should easily slide off the end a sharp knife when tested).
- Whilst the potatoes are boiling, trim the tough end of your asparagus spears off and slice the remainder of each spear into 2-3 pieces. When the potatoes are almost done, add in the chopped asparagus for the final 2-3 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes and asparagus and set aside for a few minutes to dry off slightly whilst you heat a generous drizzle of olive oil in a separate pan.
- Peel and crush your garlic clove, adding it to the oil to lightly cook off. As the garlic becomes fragrant, toss in the cooked potatoes and asparagus, cooking and coating for another 1-2 minutes.
- Take off the heat and add the zest of roughly half a lemon, along with a generous squeeze of lemon juice. Add your chopped herbs and season generously with salt and pepper.
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