Roasted Garlic Skordalia Recipes

Steps:

• Broil 2 large red bell peppers, turning, until charred, 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover and let steam 20 minutes. Remove the skin, stems and seeds. Puree the peppers in a blender with 1/4 cup each blanched almonds and lemon juice and 6 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, cook 2 russet potatoes (peeled and cut into chunks) and 6 smashed garlic cloves in salted simmering water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until dry, 2 minutes; remove from the heat and mash. Fold in the pepper puree. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice and top with chives.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Put unpeeled garlic on a piece of foil. Drizzle with about 1 teaspoon of the oil, season with salt and pepper. Fold the foil in to form a neat little package. Roast for about 30 minutes, until the garlic is soft but not caramelized.
• Boil the potatoes until they are very tender, and drain. Let cool slightly.
• Puree the one garlic clove into a smooth paste, using a mortar and a pestle. Add a pinch of salt and place in a bowl.
• Cut off the heads of the roasted garlic cloves with scissors and squeeze the pulp into the bowl. Combine with the raw garlic. Drizzle in the wonderful oil from the foil package also.
• When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, but still warm, peel them and add one at a time to the garlic. You can fluff them in with a fork and mix until smooth.
• Drizzle in the remaining olive oil a bit a time, making sure to have a smooth puree before adding more oil. Season with the lemon juice, salt and black pepper.
• If you want a looser sauce, add some warm water or chicken stock.
• Serve right away, or keep at room temperature for few hours. If you need to keep it longer than that, refrigerate but return to room temperature before serving.

Steps:

• Boil the potato in a small pot of salted water.
• Add the 2 cloves of garlic and sea salt to a blender or food processor, and pulse until it becomes a thick paste. Add more garlic if desired. Squeeze the water from the bread, and drain the potato, reserving some of the cooking water. Add the bread and potato to the garlic paste along with the almonds and half the lemon juice. Process until the mixture is well combined, but still slightly coarse in texture.
• While the processor is running, start to slowly pour the olive oil into the mixture. If it is too thick, add a spoonful of the reserved potato water and continue to add the oil. Once the mixture becomes lighter in color and thinner in texture, stop and taste your creation. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add a little of the remaining lemon juice. Taste again, and if you are lucky enough to have gotten it just right, put into a bowl or jar and reserve in the fridge for up to 1 week.
• If the skordalia seems unbalanced, use your taste buds to steer you in the right direction. If you want it more pungent, add more garlic. If the garlic flavor is overpowering, add a few drops of lemon juice. Season with more salt. Blend. Taste again. Repeat as many times as needed to get it where you want it. Skordalia needs to taste good to you, not to me.