Skordalia
The Greek word “skordo” means garlic, and garlic plays the lead here. Floury potatoes pressed while warm with garlic pounded with salt, plenty of olive oil and wine vinegar make a thick, creamy dip with a bold, sharp flavour. In Greece skordalia is served with fried salt cod, beetroot and fried vegetables. Two rules: the potatoes are pressed through a ricer, never blended, as the starch turns to glue, and the oil goes in slowly, as for mayonnaise.
Your own work in that: 20 min.
- Boiling the potatoes 25 min
- Garlic paste 5 min
- Ricing 10 min
- Beating in the oil 10 min
- Resting 30 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneBoil the potatoes in their skins
Scrub the potatoes and boil them whole, in their skins, in salted water 20–25 minutes until very soft. Cooked in their skins they soak up less water, so the dip is thicker.
Ingredients: 500 g floury potatoes · 6 cloves garlic · 1 tsp coarse salt · 120 ml extra virgin olive oil · 3 tbsp red wine vinegar · 4 tbsp potato cooking water
Pound the garlic with salt
Meanwhile pound the garlic with the salt in a mortar to a smooth paste. The coarse salt works like sandpaper. With no mortar, grate the garlic on a very fine grater.
Ingredients: 500 g floury potatoes · 6 cloves garlic · 1 tsp coarse salt · 120 ml extra virgin olive oil · 3 tbsp red wine vinegar · 4 tbsp potato cooking water
With coarse salt — the garlic turns to paste.Peel the potatoes hot
Drain, keeping a glass of the cooking water. Peel the potatoes while hot — hold them in a cloth. Warm potato presses smoothly; cold potato goes lumpy.
Ingredients: 500 g floury potatoes · 6 cloves garlic · 1 tsp coarse salt · 120 ml extra virgin olive oil · 3 tbsp red wine vinegar · 4 tbsp potato cooking water
Press through a ricer
Press the potatoes through a ricer into a bowl or mash with a masher. Do not use a blender or mixer — it bursts the starch granules and the skordalia turns gluey like wallpaper paste.
Ingredients: 500 g floury potatoes · 6 cloves garlic · 1 tsp coarse salt · 120 ml extra virgin olive oil · 3 tbsp red wine vinegar · 4 tbsp potato cooking water
A ricer, not a blender — or it turns to glue.Stir in the garlic
Stir the garlic paste into the warm potato with a wooden spoon.
Ingredients: 500 g floury potatoes · 6 cloves garlic · 1 tsp coarse salt · 120 ml extra virgin olive oil · 3 tbsp red wine vinegar · 4 tbsp potato cooking water
Add the oil slowly
Set aside 1–2 tablespoons of the oil for serving. Pour in the rest in a thin stream, beating with the spoon all the time, alternating with the vinegar. The dip should absorb the oil and turn silky, like a thick purée.
Ingredients: 500 g floury potatoes · 6 cloves garlic · 1 tsp coarse salt · 120 ml extra virgin olive oil · 3 tbsp red wine vinegar · 4 tbsp potato cooking water
A thin stream and steady beating — as for mayonnaise.Loosen and season
If it is too thick, add up to 4 tablespoons of the potato water. Taste and season with salt and vinegar — skordalia should be distinctly garlicky and slightly tangy. Leave 30 minutes for the flavours to meld.
Ingredients: 500 g floury potatoes · 6 cloves garlic · 1 tsp coarse salt · 120 ml extra virgin olive oil · 3 tbsp red wine vinegar · 4 tbsp potato cooking water
Serve at room temperature
Spoon into a bowl, make a hollow with the spoon and pour in the reserved oil. Serve with fried cod, boiled beetroot, fried courgette or bread.
Ingredients: 500 g floury potatoes · 6 cloves garlic · 1 tsp coarse salt · 120 ml extra virgin olive oil · 3 tbsp red wine vinegar · 4 tbsp potato cooking water
Before you start
With almonds or walnuts
In many parts of Greece 50 g of ground skinned almonds or walnuts go into skordalia. The dip becomes richer and creamier.
The bread version
Skordalia made with stale bread instead of potatoes is just as popular. Take about 250 g of crustless white bread, soak it in water and squeeze it well. The amounts of garlic, oil and vinegar stay the same.
Storage
Skordalia keeps 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container. The garlic flavour grows stronger and the dip thickens — stir in a spoonful of water before serving and let it come to room temperature.