Erica De Mane

A caper bush.

Recipe below: Warm Potato Salad with Lovage and Sicilian Capers

My lovage came back. I guess it didn’t mind our snowy early May as much as I did. My chives too. Other stuff would have, but I yanked it. Last year I planted what turned out to be acrid oregano, so I got rid of it at the first frost. I had stupidly put in mint, which naturally and furiously took over the entire garden, so that had to go. I will pot it separately this year. My thyme, marjoram, and savory got engulfed by some stringy invader that looked like masses of yellow threads, so all that got ripped up and, as suggested by my Agway man, actually burned. I’m hoping to do much better this year, rolling out a more organized approach.

Lovage in my garden.

Lovage took me a while to love. It’s a strong herb, with a taste something like jacked-up celery, or celery made into perfume. It’s hauntingly beautiful when used conservatively,  but merely haunting if you go overboard with it. I’ve learned restraint (people make lovage pesto; I’m not sure I’d want that). And I now realize that lovage marries very well with capers. But you’ve got to get good capers.

My favorite capers come from Pantelleria, an island to the south of Sicily, closer to Tunisia than to the Sicilian mainland. The Mediterranean caper bush grows like crazy in the island’s volcanic soil. The capers are big, almost juicy, and they taste like the flower buds that they in fact are. They’re packed in Trapani sea salt, not vinegar, which renders them sweet and floral, not sour. You just need to soak them to get rid of excess salt. I get mine from Gustiamo. You should give those Sicilian ones a try. I swear you’ll never go back to the little sour things again.

Warm Potato Salad with Lovage and Sicilian Capers

1½ pounds small Yukon Gold or fingerling potatoes
1 tablespoon dry vermouth
1 teaspoon sherry wine vinegar, or possibly a little more
A big pinch of sugar
Salt
A big pinch of ground allspice
2 tender inner celery stalks, chopped
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
A palmful of Sicilian salt-packed capers, soaked and rinsed
Extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
About 8 lovage leaves, lightly chopped (if you don’t have lovage, use celery leaves)

Put the potatoes in a big pan, and cover them with water by at least 3 inches. Bring it to a boil, then turn it down a notch, and cook the potatoes just until they’re just tender, about 8 minutes. Poke into one to make sure.

Drain the potatoes. When they’re cool enough to handle but still really hot, cut them in half, and put them in a big, attractive serving bowl. Drizzle on the vermouth and the vinegar, and season with salt, the sugar, and the allspice. Toss gently with your hands. Let sit for about ten minutes, so the potatoes can soak up all the seasoning.

Add the celery, shallot, and capers. Drizzle on 2 tablespoons of really good olive oil (Sicilian would be excellent—try Ravida). Grind on a good amount of fresh black pepper, and scatter on the lovage. Toss gently, tasting for seasoning and adding more vinegar or salt if needed. Serve warm.