Cafe Liz

Mashed potatoes with balsamic vinegar, basil and figs

Summertime means figs, and you can’t eat just one. That’s because you can’t buy just one. In fact, you can’t really buy less than a one-kilo bucket at a time. Well, there are worse plights in life.

Figs are quite an attractive fruit, and can dress up any dish. I’ve been mixing them with all kinds of savory things, since I find them too sweet to eat on their own. My cheese guy got me to buy some Roquefort last week thanks to his figs-and-Roquefort display in the window — figs sliced open, with a cube of Roquefort stuck inside. It’s quite a good snack.

I’ve been tossing figs with pasta, cheese and basil, too. Also a nice combo.

Today’s combo is mashed potatoes, seasoned with balsamic vinegar, basil and figs. I sculpted mine into a little mound. Presentation improves taste, after all.

And, by the way, here’s my little fig tree in my kitchen window. It’s grown a total of two figs and about 10 leaves since I bought it a few months ago:

You can easily make this recipe parve or vegan by replacing the butter with margarine or olive oil, or just omitting it altogether.

For 2-3 servings:

300 grams potatoes
10 grams butter
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper
2 figs

Dice and boil the potatoes (I don’t bother to peel mine). Once the potatoes are soft, drain and mash with the butter, vinegar, basil, salt and pepper. Arrange into attractive mounds and top with slices of figs.

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