Swiss Chard and Potatoes

Do you want to know what I think is a beautiful thing?  Heading out to my own backyard grocery store to choose what to have for dinner.

And do you know what I think is even prettier?

The price.

Not much is ready yet other than the leafy goods, but I am so happy about it all (except for the critters munching my goods; I just replanted both the corn and the peas...Grrr.).  It's really not just the price that I think is pretty, even though that is a very, very nice thing.  It's a little bit of pride, a little bit of independence, a little bit of personal choice about what we eat and the quality of the food.  And I dig it.

Last night was one of those nights where there was little in the pantry and freezer because I did not have time to shop today, yet somehow dinner for six needed to appear.  Between the potatoes, garlic, and spices in the pantry and what was in the garden, this Swiss Chard and Potato dish made a perfect side to accompany some steamed garden peas and our main dish.

And it made me very happy to go out and harvest it.

Now, I just need to get rid of those not-so-cute-anymore bunnies that like my garden as much as I do. They ate my corn, peas, lettuce, bean leaves...and I didn't get any.  They don't seem to mess with the onions and garlic, so next year, instead of marigolds (which they don't even notice - or maybe they do and they are just laughing at those silly humans as they munch right past them), I am going to plant a garlic and onion barrier around everything.  A thick one.

Soon, dear bunnies.  Soon, I will take all measures necessary to ensure you eat from the neighbor's garden rather than mine. Between the fence and the pepper spray I mixed up just last night, with the dogs in the middle, you'd better run, and run quickly.
 

A quick note about "stickage" in this dish - the moisture in the potatoes and chard mixture may cause a little sticking.  You can either gently press the moisture out of the mixture as it is draining in the colander, or use an acid (I suggest beer or white wine vinegar in the recipe) to deglaze the pan with the potatoes still in it, or you can serve the dish and deglaze the pan later with plain white vinegar gently warmed when it's time to wash the dishes (anything stuck on in any pan usually cleans up very easily with this method!). Regardless of how you make clean up easier, you're going to love this Swiss chard and Potatoes recipe!

Swiss Chard and Potatoes
serves 6

• 1 lb Swiss chard, washed
• 2 lbs potatoes (red, white, or otherwise), peeled and cut into a 1 inch dice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 Tbs butter or olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2-3 Tbs beer, white wine vinegar - if necessary, to deglaze the pan, optional

Trim the Swiss chard: run a sharp knife along the both sides of the stem to remove the leaves. (Suggestion: stack 3-4 like-sized stems together and run the knife through all at once to speed things along)

Chop the stems into 1/2 inch pieces.  Stack and slice the leaves into 1/4 -1/2 inch ribbons.

Place potatoes in a large pot.  Cover by two inches with water.  Add 1/2 tsp salt.  Bring to a boil.  Partially cover and reduce heat to medum. Simmer for 3 minutes.  Add chard leaves and stems.

Bring back to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium and partially cover again for about 10 min, or until potatoes are tender.

Drain potatoes and chard.

Melt butter or heat olive oil in 12 inch skillet over medium heat.  Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes.  Cook 1-2 minutes, or garlic is fragrant.

Toss in the potatoes and chard (be careful for any sizzle due to the moisture in the potato mixture).  Stir in the green onions.  Season with salt and pepper.

Cook untouched 4-5 minutes.  Stir, scraping any bits off the bottom of the pan.

Cook another 4-5 minutes, or until everything is well cooked.

If some of your potatoes have cooked to the bottom of the pan (heat varies between electric and gas, and when you add the moisture of the potatoes and chard, sometimes things get...sticky.  That's all fine in this dish, though - that's extra added flavor), add the optional beer or white wine vinegar now.  Stir to scrape any yummy flavorful bits from the bottom of the pan.  If your potatoes release well, you can skip this part if you'd like. Taste, and season again with salt and pepper, if necessary.