Caper Potato Garlic Dip Recipes

CAPER POTATO-GARLIC DIP

Steps:

• Squeeze the excess water from the soaked bread and place it in a food processor. Add the garlic and process until it forms a smooth paste. Add all but one tablespoon of the capers and process until smooth. With the motor running, add the olive oil, a little at a time. Add 3 tablespoons lemon juice and the almonds and pulse to coarsely chop.
• Scrape the mixture into a medium bowl and fold in the mashed potato. (Do not do this in the food processor, or the potato will become gluey.) Season with pepper and, if necessary, salt to taste. Add more lemon juice to taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.
• Stir in a few tablespoons of water if the dip is very thick. Garnish with the remaining tablespoon of capers. The dip can be served with sliced bread or crudites or over steamed or poached fish or used to make the octopus-with- garlic-sauce recipe that follows.

PAN SEARED BEEF CARPACCIO WITH POTATO CHIPS, FRIED CAPERS AND LEMON AIOLI

Steps:

• For the beef carpaccio: In a small bowl, mix the spices together. Completely coat the beef with the spice mix. In a pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat and sear the beef on all sides until golden brown and crusted, about 2 minutes on each side.
• Wrap the tenderloin in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until ready to slice.
• For the aioli: With the back of a knife, crush the garlic. Place in a bowl with 1 teaspoon salt and the Dijon mustard. Add the egg and whisk to blend. Slowly whisk in the oil, a little at a time, until all the oil is mixed in and the aioli emulsifies and becomes thick and creamy. Add the lemon juice and zest. If you need to thin the sauce, add water until you get the consistency you like. Season with salt and pepper. Keep refrigerated until ready to use. (Use within 24 hours.)
• For the chips and capers: Rinse the potato slices under cold water and put them in a large bowl with the salt. Rinsing the potatoes will ensure they don't change color and will remove some of the starch. Add cold water to cover and set aside. (The longer the potatoes stay in the water, the crispier they will be when you fry them.)
• Drain the potatoes from the water and pat dry between paper towels. Dry off the capers with a paper towel and set aside.
• Using a deep fryer, heat the oil to 350 degrees F. Working in small batches, fry the potato chips, stirring a few times, until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer the potato chips to paper towels to drain excess oil. Sprinkle with salt and reserve.
• Fry the capers until golden, 30 to 45 seconds. Reserve on paper towels to drain.
• Take the beef out of the refrigerator. Using a very sharp knife, cut slices as thinly as you can.
• Mix the baby spinach with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
• To serve: Plate the beef slices on individual plates, spoon the lemon aioli on the beef, garnish with the seasoned spianch, the potato chips, fried capers and chives.

BAKED POTATO-GARLIC DIP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake the potatoes until fork tender, about 1 hour. Cool, peel, discarding the skins, and break the potatoes into pieces.
• Process the almonds, olive oil and garlic in a food processor into a paste. Add the potato chunks, 1/2 cup water, lemon juice, vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a generous grinding of black pepper. Pulse until the mixture just comes together into a thick dip. Take care not to over-process or the dip will be gummy. Season with additional salt and pepper.
• Spread the dip on a large serving dish. Drizzle with olive oil and scatter with the chives if using. Serve with vegetables and/or pita chips for dipping.

OCTOPUS WITH GARLIC SAUCE

Steps:

• If using fresh octopus, rinse it well and place in a heavy, nonreactive pot. Cook over medium heat, covered, for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the octopus is fork-tender, adding a few tablespoons of water as needed. If using frozen octopus, place it in the pot still frozen and cook over medium-low heat, turning frequently, until thawed. Remove from heat.
• Drain the octopus, reserving the cooking liquid, and cut it into bite-size pieces. Place in a serving bowl. Stir in a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid to thin the dip to sauce consistency. Pour over the octopus and cool to room temperature. Garnish with reserved capers and serve.

POTATO GARLIC DIP

Steps:

• Place the potatoes and enough water to cover in a 2 quart saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low; cover and simmer until potatoes are tender - about 15-20 minutes.
• In a food processor or blender, blend the garbanzo beans, olive oil, garlic cloves, and salt.
• Drain the potatoes, reserving 1/2 cup of potato water. In a large bowl, mash the potatoes, add the garbanzo mix, the reserved 1/2 cut potato water, and the chopped parsley, and combine until well mixed.
• Serve.

LEMON, CAPER & GARLIC WHITE-BEAN DIP

Steps:

• Drain and rinse beans well. In a food processor, combine all ingredients except parsley. Process on high until texture is very smooth and creamy. Pulse in parsley. Adjust ingredient amounts to suit your taste; this is a very forgiving recipe and amounts do not need to be exact. Place in covered bowl and chill for at least 2 hours. Serve with warm pita bread, pita chips and assorted vegetables cut to dipping size (carrots, bell peppers, onions, etc.).