Beer-Brined Potato Salad with Sunflower-Seed Chimichurri

By ltrodrigu

Ingredients

• For the Potatoes:
• 1/4 cup kosher salt for brining, plus more for boiling and roasting
• 3 pounds blue potatoes, such as Adirondack Blue or Purple Peruvian
• 16 ounces saison-style beer
• 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 sachet black tea
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 3 small red onions, quartered
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• For the Chimichurri:
• 1 1/2 cups chopped cilantro
• 3/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 6 scallions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Juice of 2 limes (about 4 tablespoons)
• 1 small Serrano chili, seeded and minced
• Kosher salt

Preparation

Step 1

In a large bowl, prepare an ice-water bath. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch potatoes until tender, about 5 minutes. Immediately transfer potatoes to ice water to halt cooking.

Meanwhile, combine beer, ¼ cup kosher salt, cloves, garlic, black tea sachet and rosemary in a medium. Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn off heat, discard tea bag and let brine cool to room temperature.

Transfer potatoes and brine to a large Ziploc bag. Seal bag and let sit at least 1 hour and up to overnight in the refrigerator, turning bag occasionally to coat potatoes.

Meanwhile, Make Chimichurri:
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well.

Once potatoes have brined, set broiler to high. Remove potatoes from brine, pat dry and transfer along with onions to a rimmed baking sheet. Discard brine and its contents. Toss vegetables with oil and salt. Broil until golden and caramelized, 15–20 minutes.

To serve, transfer roasted vegetables to a serving dish and spoon some chimichurri on top. Serve remaining chimichurri on the side.