Gideon’s new potatoes and artichokes dressed with hemp oil, mint

This is a classic recipe for early summer when the first of the new potatoes coincide with the short artichoke season. Mint and lemon work well with both of these primary ingredients, but the use of hemp oil rather than olive will take this dish in a different, nutty direction that is also very healthy. Admittedly, preparing artichokes in this way is a bit laborious, so this could be a task for a lazy Sunday. Wear rubber gloves if you don’t want black hands and remember the raw juices are very bitter, so if you haven’t been wearing gloves, wash your hands before eating.

Ingredients:

To make 4 portions as a starter or side dish
First, prepare 4 globe artichokes, (choose ones as large as possible). Using a strong, sharp paring knife cut away all the leaves around the base, cut the top inch straight off the top of the artichoke and peel the darker coloured fibrous skin from the stem. Cut it in half lengthways, then scrape out the hairy choke from each half.

Put each half into cold water with lemon juice added (1 lemon to 500ml water) to prevent discolouration as much as possible. Carefully oil and season each half then place on an oiled baking tray.

Use olive or sunflower oil for all of this so far – hemp oil should only be used ‘raw’. Roast in a medium oven until tender at the base, then allow to cool on the tray.

The artichokes can be stored under oil for a week, but if you want to do all of this at the same time…

Meanwhile, scrub 8 medium sized new potatoes and cook them in plenty of boiling, salted water until just tender. Drain and allow to cool before slicing or chopping the potatoes into your desired size and shape. To make them about the same size as the artichokes is a good idea to ensure a good ‘dressing to potato ratio’.

Make the dressing by mixing the juice of 2 lemons with twice the quantity of hemp oil, 6 fresh mint leaves (finely chopped) and season with salt and pepper.

Put the artichokes, potatoes and dressing in a large bowl and gently turn to combine. This will be at it’s best if combined while the artichokes and potatoes are still warm and eaten about an hour after it has all cooled to room temperature.

Great as a side dish for air-dried ham or salami or for grilled flat fish; alternatively, serve as a starter with warm, crusty bread.
As an optional extra, sprinkle a few hemp seeds over the salad, for a bit of crunch.