Pot-Crushed Sicilian-Style Potatoes

These reheat well and hold in the refrigerator 2 days. Taste for seasoning before reheating.

A beautiful sidestep away from the chore of mashing potatoes for a gang, these spuds are thin sliced, boiled fast and then crushed into an herb-tomato sauté They’re meant to be chunky.

Cook to Cook: The addition of water to a sauté of garlic may seem odd, but adding a small amount of water lets the garlic mellow and soften without any chance of it becoming burned or bitter. This is a technique to take into any recipe where you want soft garlic flavor with no bite.

Ingredients

• 8 quarts salted water in a 10-quart pot

• 8 large garlic cloves

• 5 to 6 pounds red-skin potatoes, unpeeled

Sicilian Seasoning:

• Good tasting extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 medium onion, minced

• 4 to 5 ounces Italian salami (soppressata, cacciatore, Genoa, or other) cut into 1/8-inch dice

• Salt and fresh-ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds, crushed

• 1 tightly-packed tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, torn

Finishing:

• 14 whole scallions, thin sliced

• 1-1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise

Instructions

1. Bring the salted water to a boil.

2. Thinly slice the garlic in a food processor; remove and set aside. Then thinly slice the skin-on potatoes. Drop the potatoes into the boiling water. Simmer 6 to 8 minutes until tender, and drain in a colander, shaking away excess water.

3. Put the empty pot back on stove (don’t worry if there are traces of potato starch), film it generously with the olive oil, and set over medium-high heat. Add the onion and salami and sauté 2 minutes. Lower the heat to medium, stir in the sliced garlic, fennel seeds, a generous sprinkling of salt and a few grinds of pepper, along with a few spoonfuls of water.

4. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat about 5 minutes more to soften the garlic, adding more water if necessary to keep the garlic from browning. Add the oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Turn potatoes back into the pot. Lightly crush the potatoes while blending them with the sautéed garlic, and season to taste. Fold in the scallions and tomatoes. Turn into a bowl and serve hot.

5. To make ahead, take the recipe to the point where the potatoes are crushed and seasoned to taste. Spread them in a shallow baking dish, cover and refrigerate. About an hour before you are ready to re-heat, bring them to room temperature, fold in the scallions and tomatoes, cover the casserole with foil, and slip it into a 350º F oven once the turkey is out and resting. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are hot.