Swedish new potatoes are served quite simply, with just a pat of melted butter and sprinkling of salt and fresh dill. To dress this up for party fare, I adapted a recipe from Jamie Oliver's Jamie at Home (Hyperion 2008), placing the dilled potatoes (with a bit of lemon and capers to spark them up) on a bed of beloved-in-Sweden-and-America smoked salmon (or if you prefer, the more Swedish cold-cured gravlax), and dressing the whole thing with a creamy horseradish sauce.
Makes 8 servings as part of a larger spread
3 pounds small new waxy red or yellow potatoes
Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons capers
Salt and white pepper, to taste
1/2 bunch fresh dill, washed and coarsely chopped (1/4 cup)
1 pound thinly sliced smoked salmon or gravlax
1/2 cup mayonnaise or creme fraiche
Squirt of lemon juice
2 teaspoons horseradish
Scrub the potatoes, and halve any that are large. Place them in a pot of salted water, bring to a boil, and reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
While the potatoes are cooking, mix together the lemon juice and zest, olive oil, vinegar and capers in a large bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. When the potatoes are tender, drain them, then add them to the bowl of dressing ingredients while still warm. Let cool in the dressing, tossing occasionally to ensure all of the potatoes absorb the flavorings. This can be done the night before, if desired.
When the potatoes are cool, add the fresh dill and mix well. Pile the salmon on a serving plate, and mound the potatoes on top of it. In a small dish, whisk together the mayonnaise or creme fraiche, lemon juice and horseradish. Pour a few blobs of this sauce over the potatoes, and serve.
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