Skordalia is a beautifully simple smooth purée of waxy potatoes, lots of juicy garlic, lashings of vibrant extra-virgin olive oil, a generous splash of white wine vinegar and flat leaf parsley whipped together to create a classic Greek dip which is served at room temperature with a scattering of salty capers. Trust me, this bears no resemblance to the ordinary as the process of making it transforms these noble ingredients into a deeply rich and unctuous delight to serve with warm Greek Village bread. Here I’ve paired it with oozy slow-roasted plum tomatoes with organic thyme to create a unique dish to serve alongside several others as part of a sharing table with friends and family.

Serves 6

Ingredients 

For the tomatoes:
6 ripe plum tomatoes
Raphael’s Cretan extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp Raphael’s organic Greek oregano
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the skordalia:
1kg of waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into even pieces
4-6 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 tbsp of white wine vinegar
120ml Raphael’s Cretan extra-virgin olive oil
20g flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the caper dressing:
Juice of half a lemon
3 tbsp Raphael’s chilli-infused olive oil
A splash of white wine vinegar
1 tsp unrefined sugar (optional)
2 tbsp of salted capers, rinsed and patted dry

How I make it 

Heat an oven to 160C and line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

Make the dressing and set aside.

Halve the tomatoes and place in a single layer on the baking sheet. Sprinkle over the oregano and season to your taste. Drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven for 45 minutes to one hour until they are soft and caramelised. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a pan, add plenty of salt and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat, partially cover and cook until tender, around 20 minutes. Drain – retaining 200ml of the cooking water – and set aside to cool. Place the potatoes into a food processor and pulse to break them up. Then add the garlic, white wine vinegar, the olive oil and 150ml of the water and process until you achieve a very smooth, stringy consistency similar to melted cheese (add the remaining water only if you need to). Add the parsley and season to your taste. Cover with clingfilm until you’re ready to serve.

Pile the skordalia onto a large platter and arrange the tomatoes over the top. Spoon over the dressing and serve.

For more information about Raphael’s Mediterranean Deli products, please click this link.