A Hopefully Helpful Thing: Two Very Simple Side Dishes

My Grandma's Cucumber Salad! Cream Cheese + Chive Smashed Potatoes!

Hello!

I have a Hopefully Helpful Thing for you today in the form of two very simple side dish recipes: My Grandma's Cucumber Salad and Cream Cheese + Chive Smashed Potatoes. They’re both so easy to make and I just think helpful to have in your repertoire because they’re crowd-pleasers and don’t require that much work or money to prepare.

One of the questions I get asked most often is “What should I serve with….?” and these two side dishes are the things I recommend the most. One is cold, one is hot, both are keepers.

The cucumber salad is great for summer picnics, BBQs, camping, or just about any meal. Not only can you make it ahead, I think it gets better if you do. Just keep it in a container in the refrigerator. You can serve it with sandwiches, hot dogs, fried chicken, broiled fish, or as part of a larger spread of salads like a tomato salad, macaroni salad, and so on. It happens to be completely vegan and gluten-free, so it’s great for just about everyone, no matter the dietary needs at your table. My grandmother made this a ton when I was growing up and I loved it so much that I shared it in Now & Again.

The smashed potatoes are perfect for when you want mashed potatoes, but don’t want to peel a bunch of potatoes or worry about getting things super smooth. They’ve got the comforting flavor combination of cream cheese + chives and feel special enough to be exciting, but simple enough to make any time. Great with roast chicken, fish sticks, tofu roasted with barbecue sauce, seared fish, meatloaf, roasted vegetables…whatever! Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave, a double boiler, or turned into little potato cakes (pan-fry in melted butter…delicious!). Or put leftovers in a baking dish, sprinkle with grated cheddar, and bake in a 400ºF oven until heated through + the cheese melts and browns a little. Yum. If you want these to be dairy-free, just use vegan cream cheese (highly recommend Miyokos) and some non-dairy/unsweetened creamer or milk in place of the regular milk.

And now for the recipes!

My Grandma’s Cucumber Salad / Serves about 4

1 tablespoon canola or other neutral oil

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 regular cucumbers, ends trimmed, peeled

1 very small white onion (or just part of a larger one), very thinly sliced

In a large bowl, whisk together the canola oil, vinegar, sugar, and salt until the sugar and salt dissolve.

Run the tines of a fork lengthwise down the sides of the cucumbers and then thinly slice them. Add the cucumbers and onion to the bowl with the vinegar mixture and mix well. Then, as my grandmother says, “taste if it needs anything and add it.” That means, season to taste with more vinegar, sugar, and/or salt if needed.

Serve immediately or, better yet, cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours (or up to 24 hours) before serving so the cucumbers soften a little. If you do make it ahead, be sure to season it to taste before serving, as it might need a bit more salt and vinegar to shine.

Cream Cheese + Chive Smashed Potatoes / Serves about 4

1 1/2 pounds small white creamer potatoes (or small Yukon Golds or fingerlings), washed

Kosher salt

1/4 cup cream cheese

1/4 cup milk or half-and-half

1 small handful fresh chives (or scallions), finely chopped

Place the potatoes in a saucepan (or any pot), fill with cold water so the potatoes are covered by an inch of water, and season generously with salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender (test with a paring knife), about 20 minutes. 

Drain the potatoes in a colander and shake well to really dry them.

Return the potatoes to the empty pot (no need to turn the stove on and definitely just use using the pot as a bowl because why dirty something else?!). Add the cream cheese, milk, and chives. Sprinkle everything with a big pinch of salt and use a fork or potato masher to crush everything together. The goal is to mix all of the ingredients well but not create smooth mashed potatoes. This dish is all about texture. Season to taste with more salt if you’d like. Serve immediately.

Hope you enjoy these!

Take care, xo Julia