Potato and Chickpea Salad

I've added a few recipes that are suitable for a barbecue over the past few days and I've added even more recipes for seasonal foods.

Here is a recipe that is a combination of the two, new season potatoes served as a potato salad that would be great as an accompaniment to barbecued meats or fish, but which also works as an accompaniment to the Sunday roast.


The new season's new potatoes have arrived, and to celebrate here is a North African inspired potato salad.

Potato and Chickpea Salad

Serves: 4–6

Ingredients:

500g (1 lb) small new potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tsp cumin seeds
500g (1 lb) plum tomatoes, blanched and peeled
400g (14 oz) tin of chickpeas, drained
2 tbsp fresh mint, coarsely chopped, to garnish
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

Either scrub or peel the potatoes then slice in half lengthways (unless very small). Bring a pan of unsalted water to a boil, add the potatoes and cook for about 10 minutes or until tender. Drain in a colander once cooked.

In the meantime, heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook for about 8 minutes, or until soft and coloured a light golden brown. Stir in the garlic and cumin seeds and cook for about 4 minutes more. Cut the tomatoes into eighths and stir into the pan. Cook for a few minutes, or until the tomatoes are just beginning to soften.

Add the drained chickpeas and the potatoes. Continue cooking for a few minutes until warmed through. Season with salt and black pepper then stir in the mint.

Serve hot or cold.