Momma's Potatoes and Riesling

Momma was asked by a friend in the mid-west, " What is a good potato recipe to use as a side dish?"


Momma Explains : Although I do not make many potato dishes, this is one of our favorites and a great side dish with grilled
ham steak and peaches. If you cannot find fresh peaches, try canned in lite syrup as a replacement. The entire meal is a quick fix and the Piesporter Michelsberg Riesling Kabinett
( 2006 or 2007 ) is a perfect chilled accompaniment. If you will be grilling ham steaks, start with 3 fully cooked 1/2 inch thick steaks and brush with oil and some peach juice. Use some of the light syrup from the canned peaches. Then grill them for a short period of time on med/low just to warm them up and capture some grille flavor. If not grilled then start with a frying pan and about 4 tablespoons of butter, heat ham in butter on med and add some peach juice at the end of heating. Make a quick salad as a side and you can have this meal finished in record time. Keep the wine cold as it really helps to bring out the wine's natural fruit flavor. You will make the potatoes first as they will require the most time.

Momma's Potato Alfredo
Use small red potatoes, about 4 pounds for this recipe. Wash and peel off any blemishes but leave some of the skin on. Cover potatoes with salted water ( about 1 Teaspoon Kosher salt) and boil until fork tender. Drain water( but leave just a little in the pot) and return pot to stove on medium heat, add 1 pint heavy cream and 1 stick of butter, 3 minced garlic cloves, and 1 teaspoon salt ( sea salt if available) , add pepper to taste, probably about 1/4 teaspoon. Chop fresh chives and add 2 tablespoons chives to pot, stirring gently but frequently to allow butter to melt and mix all ingredients. It does not need to boil but allow it to be well heated and all flavors mixed thoroughly. This does not take long. Once the mixture is heated, grill your steaks for a quick sear and toss your salad. Then put potatoes in large bowl and sprinkle some more chopped chives on top along with a cup of parmigiano shavings. ( I use a potato peeler and my family always adds more parmigiano because they love that flavor, they also add more salt and pepper but you need to match your taste.) Now pour out the Riesling and enjoy !
I purchased this from The Bottle Shop, I have included their coverage of this incredibly reasonable wine which is great with many summer dishes. I served this wine at a party and one of the guests was a German citizen, he was so thrilled to have this wine which he said was very popular in his country.

Michel Schneider Piesporter Michelsberg Riesling Kabinett 2007 BN#238195 Price on 05/14/09: $11.99 URL: http://www.bottleshop.com/238195

Bottle Shop of Spring Lake Notes

One of our top selling fruity Rieslings. This is clean and refreshing with juicy yellow peach and apricot flavors. A perfect picnic, brunch or sushi wine.