Over the long July 4 holiday weekend we hosted an outdoor BBQ featuring Grilled Mediterranean Flank Steak with a Tomato-Basil Salsa (shown below) and wanted a couple of easy side dishes that would complement the entrée. Fortunately, Russ remembered he recently output a Crispy Salt-and-Vinegar Potatoes recipe that promised to be not only simple to make, but flavorful and wouldn’t fight the flavor profile of the meat.

Ever start munching on those salt-and-vinegar potato chips, or the hand-cut fries drenched in malt vinegar and salt when cruising the boardwalk? Addicting right? Well, these spuds are like a grown up version of those savory snacks. Cooking the potatoes in vinegar seasons them from within, and a final drizzle boosts the flavor.

Vinegar is emerging as a functional food that not only adds interest to your meals, it may also significantly benefit your health. It has anti-cancer properties and shows promise for helping with heart health, brain health, and weight loss; and is said to be anti-glycemic and has a beneficial effect on blood sugar levels. There, now you should feel better about having some potatoes.

Just keep a close eyeball on them in the skillet. I was getting impatient that they weren’t crisping up soon enough so I raised the burner temp which resulted in charring the living sin on one side of the spuds in one of the pans. Not exactly the best way to impress guests…

Our other side was sautéed fresh green beans with lemon zest, fresh thyme and olive oil.

Ingredients (serves four)

• 2 pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved, quartered if large
• 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)

Directions

1. Combine potatoes, 1 cup vinegar, and 1 Tbsp. kosher salt in a medium saucepan; add water to cover by 1”. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender, 20–25 minutes; drain and pat (or air) dry.
   
2. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add potatoes; season with kosher salt and pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until golden brown and crisp, 8–10 minutes. Drizzle with remaining 2 Tbsp. vinegar. Serve topped with chives and sea salt.
   
   Because we doubled the recipe, we used two cast iron skillets. Just make sure to keep an eye on them while cooking because they go from light brown to almost charred in a matter of minutes… I know, as that happened to one side of the ‘taters in one of my skillets, oops…

Recipe courtesy of bon appétit. Feature photo by Christina Holmes.