Grilled Fingerlings with bacon, ramps, and Dijon vinaigrette - Wisconsin Whisk Recipe of the Week

Description

This week, from Bowen Appetit, a simple recipe which shines the spotlight on ramps, locally-grown potatoes, and bacon!  Make sure to pick up some brats and asparagus at the Market to round-out a perfect spring meal!

Ingredients

Preparation

– Grill or roast potatoes There many ways to accomplish the same thing here, but our preferred strategy is to first par-cook the potatoes in a steamer, then rub with oil and salt and transfer to the grill to finish and get some nice browning and grill marks. If you don’t have a grill, roasting the potatoes with a bit of oil and salt at 425F until tender will accomplish a similar thing. Or you can grill in a foil packet. I halved any particularly thick potatoes lengthwise, but otherwise kept them whole. You can do this or cook in chunks, which will cook faster and have more surface area for browning.

– Prepare ramps and bacon Add the prepared bacon to a medium skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot and some fat has been rendered out of the bacon, add the roughly chopped ramp bulbs. (You may want to add another drizzle of oil here if the bacon isn’t rendering enough fat to slick the bottom of the pan for cooking the ramps). Once the ramp bulbs are tender, add the roughly chopped ramp leaves and cook until wilted and all is tender. Taste for salt – the bacon will add some saltiness, but you will likely want more.

– Prepare vinaigrette and assemble Whisk together the white wine vinegar and Dijon mustard, along with a little splash of olive oil. There is oil on the potatoes and in the ramp mixture, so you may not end up needing more than that. Toss together the potatoes, vinaigrette, and ramp mixture, and add more oil if it things are looking dry. Toss in a pinch of salt as well, preferably the coarser “finishing”-type salt if you have it (e.g. Maldon, other flaky sea salt) – potatoes are starchy, and will require more salt than you think.

Making ahead/storage: Finished dish keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and can be reheated in a low oven, slowly on the stovetop with a bit of water in the pan to create some steam, or in the microwave. You may need to add a splash more vinegar and a bit more salt, as flavors tend to dissipate over time. You can also easily make the ramp mixture ahead of time (up to 5 days) to toss with freshly cooked potatoes. 

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