Goat Cheese Smashed Potatoes

We were doing some book shop browsing in the sweet town of Davis last weekend, and noticed a ton of great cookbooks on the 50% off rack.  Win!!  We picked up Good to the Grain, by Kim Boyce; This is Camino, by Russell Moore; and New Moroccan, by Mourad Lahlou.  We know Russell and Mourad from their frequent farmers market visits and support of our farm.  I also picked up a book called Heritage, by Sean Brock, drawn in by the beautiful heirloom beans on the cover.  I’m pretty excited to try out some new recipes.  This one looks like an especially good way to enjoy our spring potatoes.  In additional to the ingredients below, you could add some thinly sliced fennel, kohlrabi, and/ or garlic from your box.  The author serves them with Cornmeal Fried Pork Chops and Cucumber and Pickled Green Tomato Relish.  Yum!

— Jenna Muller

About 3 lbs. new potatoes

Kosher salt

1 cup half-and-half

6 ounces goat cheese

8 tablespoons butter, diced and chilled

1/2 cup finely sliced chives

Freshly ground pepper

Put the potatoes in a large pot, cover with water, and add 1/4 cup salt.  Bring the water to a simmer over medium high heat, then reduce the heat to medium low and cook for about 30 minutes, until fork tender.  When the potatoes are almost cooked, bring the half-and-half to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Drain the potatoes and place them in a large bowl.  Using a wooden spoon, carefully smash each potato without breaking it apart.  Pour the hot half-and-half over the potatoes; crumble the goat cheese and the butter over them, and fold in the chives.  You should have small pockets of goat cheese throughout and the potatoes shouldn’t be mashed.  Season with pepper.