Spanish Inspired Potatoes and a Rockin' Fennel Side Salad

While in Spain last year I got served a great potato tapas dish which I have managed to recreate at home. It is traditionally served cold (although can be served hot too). I tend to eat it as part of a meal with for example a fresh bean salad or fish/chicken if you are the non vegetarian type. It contains raw garlic so if you're not too big of a fan of garlic I suggest you skip this one (but not the Fennel Apple salad part included below!).

I have only in the past few years discovered fennel and I have to say I can't get enough of it! My mother dislikes fennel so I was an adult when I first tried it. The crisp texture and that natural aniseed-type flavour really gives salads an extra charm. I tend to experiment quite a bit with fennel and at the moment I'm hooked on this very simple, fresh salad I created. Check it out below.

Spanish Inspired Potatoes - Serves 2 adults

700g of potatoes

1 shallot

1 garlic clove

1 cup or 1 big handful fresh parsley

2,5 tbsp olive oil

3/4 tbsp white wine vinegar

salt and pepper

Peel and chop the potatoes into bite size pieces and boil. Once ready (usually after about 15 minutes), drain the potatoes and run under cold water. Place the boiled potato pieces in a large bowl

Press the garlic into the bowl with potatoes. Roughly chop the shallot and parsley and add to the mix. Stir the olive oil and white whine vinegar with the potato mixture and add salt and pepper to taste. Now it's ready to serve!

Smashing Fennel Apple Rocket Salad - for 2 adults

1/2 fennel

1 bag rocket/arugula (ca 65g)

1/2 sweet apple (royal gala or golden delicious)

1/3 cucumber (optional)

1/2 of fresh ginger for that extra zing (optional)

juice from 1/2 lemon

A dribble of olive oil

salt and pepper (pepper optional)

Slice the fennel as thinly as you can into long strips. Chop the apple similarly except in thicker slices. Chop the cucumber horizontally so you here again get long thin cucumber slices. Mix the aforementioned in a bowl with the rocket. Squeeze the juice from the lemon into the salad and add a small dribble of olive oil. Toss the salad around and add salt to taste. Check the flavour of your salad prior to adding pepper as it often isnt needed due to the peppery kick from the rocket.

Tip: To spice things up further add 1/2 inch of fresh ginger to the salad. I usually use a garlic press to get the juice out and then thinly slice what's left of the ginger in the garlic press.

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