Welsh Nduja & Samphire Potato Salad – Food & Drink Wales

Quite often I’ll return from a press visit full of ideas. It generally comes from time spent with like minded people but this time it wasn’t just the people I was inspired by but the environment. The weirdest part is that a lot of the trip with Food and Drink Wales was within an hour of where I live. This recipe for Nduja and Samphire Potato Salad was very much based on my trip and all of the wonderful produce we enjoyed.

Part of the trip was spent learning about Gower Salt Marsh Lamb and what they graze on which gives them their unique flavour. We wandered down the Marsh and tried the Samphire which was in abundance. I was in love, I had had Samphire previously in restaurants etc but I had never just eaten it fresh or cooked it myself at home. The Estuary we visited runs quite a few miles and almost leads to the back of my home so I thought maybe just maybe I’d find some there…and I did! Loads of it. I didn’t take too much as the general rule with foraging is take just what you need.

It was a gloriously sunny day and apart from a few bramble scratches when I went the wrong way it was fairly effortless. Samphire doesn’t need much in the way of fuss or cooking. Give it a good wash then fry lightly in butter, it is naturally salty so don’t season without tasting but a little pepper works well. I added mine to the recipe below which uses mainly Welsh ingredients ( with the addition of a generic mayo ).

My other ingredients for this recipe included Pembrokeshire earlies, these most delicious and almost buttery pale yellow potatoes are so tasty and again don’t need much added to enhance them. We picked these literally from the ground with the help of Farmer Will from Windmill Farm and wow I was so impressed by the flavour. Great news for Aldi shoppers, you will be able to buy these in store very shortly under the specially selected name.

Have you heard of Nduja? It is a fairly new ingredient to UK supermarket shelves and you will more often be able to source it from local deli’s or farmers markets. Ruth and Andrew from Cwm Farm create an incredible Nduja using meat from their farm in Pontardawe, South Wales. They have a new spreadable version available on sale soon but the version I have used is similar to a chorizo in texture and flavour with a little extra spice. You can buy the products here.

Welsh Nduja & Samphire Potato Salad

You will need:

500g potatoes – I recommend Pembrokeshire Earlies

4 inch chunk of Nduja or a spicy chorizo diced – I recommend Cwm Farm

A few handfuls of Samphire or some other type of greenery if you aren’t able to locate ( asparagus would work well )

5 tablespoons of good quality mayo

1 heaped tablespoon Chilli Jam – I recommend Radnor Hills

Cook your potatoes in lightly salted water until cooked through – there is not hard and fast time for this. As farmer Will said: I cook them until a fork will sink in. Drain and leave to cool. Whilst they are cooling, chop your Nduja/chorizo into small chunks, most come in a removable peel/skin. Dry fry in a large shallow frying pan, no oil is needed as they will create enough oil due to the fat content. Once starting to crisp up and look golden, remove from pan and set aside. Add a little butter to your pan then pop in your washed and dried samphire and saute for a few minutes before removing and adding to your Nduja. Your potatoes should have cooled just enough for you to add the mayo and chill jam, stir well to get an even coating, now add your Nduja and samphire and stir through again. Season with pepper. Eat immediately.

 This is the perfect side dish at a barbecue or to accompany a picky lunch.. you know the kind. It would be great served with a roast chicken and oodles of salad bits or eaten on it’s own as a standalone dish.

• This recipe was created for Food and Drink Wales and I have been compensated for my time.