Bacon wrapped Scallops, Mashed Red Potatoes and Micro green Salad

We went to a wholesale market to get a couple of things and Dan asked if scallops would be good for dinner. I love scallops (yeah, by now you probably figured out that I love pretty much any edible thing), and we should cook them more often, I replied. So we had scallops wrapped in Rohrer's bacon for dinner. We cooked and mashed red potatoes that I got from Rick (Summer Creek Farm). These potatoes have red skin and red flesh! They look gorgeous and tasted great with a little butter, milk, chopped garlic and tarragon. We washed the micro green from Erland and Rieko (New Hope Farm) and I made a lemon-chive-honey salad dressing.
It was fun to pick a central ingredient (scallop) and have most of the supporting ingredients from the farmer's market (bacon, red potatoes, micro green) and our own back yard garden (tarragon and chive). The dinner was delicious and the prep was simple.

Bacon wrapped Scallops

• Partially cook bacon strips.
• Wrap scallops with the bacon strips. Use toothpicks or skewers to hold the strips in place.
• Butter a baking pan and place the scallops. I brushed some of the lemon dressing that I made and sprinkled brown sugar on top of the scallops, which you can skip.
  
• Under the broiler cook 2 -3 minutes each side. (We cooked about 7 minutes in total since the scallops were big).

Mashed Red Potatoes (6 small potatoes for 3 servings)

• Wash and quarter red potatoes. Fill a pot with the potatoes and water. Potatoes should be fully submerged.
  
• Bring the water to boil and continue cooking the potatoes for 15-20 minutes till potatoes are soft.
• Drain and bring the potatoes back to the still hot pot. Mash the potatoes and add butter (2 TBS), milk (2 TBS), chopped tarragon (1 tsp), chopped garlic (2 cloves) and salt and pepper to season

Micro green with Lemon Chive Honey dressing

• Wash micro green and either spin dry or pat dry.
  
• Mix lemon juice (1 TBS), olive oil (3 TBS), honey (1/2 TBS) and pinch of salt and pepper.

We had two bacon-wrapped scallops as leftover, with which Dan made omelet this morning. He used jumbo eggs, added sliced leftover scallops and bacons, and baby swiss goat cheese from CapriKorn Farms. You spoil me with these great breakfasts, I complained, now I cannot eat out for breakfast any more. I think the farmer's market spoils us too. Fresh dug potatoes, fresh eggs, delicious bacons and baby swiss goat cheese? These ingredients make our meals wholesome and delicious.

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Nanny's potato salad

In honor of the delicious potatoes that have been coming to the West Frederick Farmer's Market, I share with you my great grandmother's potato salad. She was Pennsylvania Dutch, in other words, German, and this recipe was lovingly passed from my mother to me.

• 5 pounds of potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size cubes
• 3-4 large celery stalks
• 1 large onion or one bunch spring onions
• 6 eggs
• yellow mustard
• mayonnaise
• salt
• pepper
• cider vinegar
• sugar
• parsley
• paprika

Boil eggs and potatoes in boiling water about 20 minutes. Drain in colander. Remove eggs and set aside to cool. In big bowl (I mean big) while potatoes are still hot, layer potatoes with salt, pepper, sugar, and vinegar. How much? Good question. Altogether you will use about 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/3 c vinegar. Do not toss. Let cool. Vinegar will absorb into potatoes. Cut celery, onions, and fresh parsley. After eggs cool, peel and slice 4 of the eggs. Save two for the top. When potatoes are cool enough not to much, stir in celery, onions, parsley, mayo, and mustard. Use more mayo than mustard. To taste. (I know this is maddening. Use about 1/4 c yellow mustard and 3/4 cup mayo and go from there). Stir gently. Blend in sliced eggs towards the end. Decorate the top with remaining two sliced eggs . Sprinkle with paprika and hide from Dad until serving.

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Farmer Rick has apples and potatoes

From Rick Hood's email to his Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) members this week at Summer Creek Farm. Maybe he'll bring some to the farmer's market...

Just a quick note. This week you will be getting fingerling potatoes in your box. They are great roasted, just rinse, slice in wedges, put on a cookie sheet, coat with Olive oil and broil till crisp. You can mince garlic in the oil for extra flavor.

Some will also receive apples. They are yellow transparent apples.They are the earliest apples of the season. These apples are very tart and make very good applesauce. The apples came from another farm we have. This farm is in the certification program but not fully certified yet so the apples are not technically organic. They have no spray on them.

Thanks

Farmer Rick

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