New Potatoes with Peanut Sauce

Mmm, another tasty way to serve new potatoes, along with the scallions and cilantro in season now. You can also substitute noodles for the potatoes, though that would make rather less of a locally based dish.

1/3 - 1/2 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
3 Tbsp peanut or canola oil
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter (preferably natural)
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
2-3 tsp chili paste
Up to 1/4 cup water
Up to 1/4 cup sugar or honey
1 1/2 - 2 lbs new potatoes, in bite-sized chunks
1/4 cup chopped scallions
2-3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Start by making the peanut sauce: Combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, peanut oil, peanut butter, garlic, ginger, and chili paste in the blender and blend until smooth. Add water a little at a time, blending in between, to reach the desired consistency. The sauce should be thin enough to pour but thick enough to stick to the potatoes.

Taste the sauce and add a little bit of sugar or honey at a time, blending in between, until reaching the desired level of sweetness. Let the sauce sit so the flavors can blend some more while you cook the potatoes.

Boil or steam the potatoes until tender. Don’t overcook, or they will fall apart when you mix them with the sauce.

When the potatoes are cooked, toss them with the peanut sauce.

Serve topped with the scallions and/or cilantro.

Serves 4-6.