Minted fava beans with smashed potatoes
Welcome to To Vegetables, With Love, a celebration of a vegetable life, less ordinary.
My book Tenderheart is available from Books are Magic, Kitchen, Arts and Letters, Book Larder, Bold Fork Books and also here or here.
The second half of the 1990s and early 2000’s were my peak dinner party years. My husband and I lived in a small apartment in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney, and our dining table was barely big enough for four people. I wasn’t a huge cook back then, so our meals took a lot of planning. We usually began our meal with a very Nineties dish - bruschetta. The bite-sized, garlic-rubbed grilled bread was topped with either tomato, basil and olive oil or smashed broad beans with mint and pecorino. Today’s recipe is loosely inspired by memories of this broad bean starter.
(A note, what we call broad beans in Australia are known as fava beans in the USA. For ease, I’ll be referring to them as fava in the following passage)
As far as fresh fava beans go, I buy and prepare fresh ones once, maybe twice, a year. Though it is virtuous work, for me, it feels arduous, to remove the pods from their shells and then to blanch and peel each bean. After lugging home a huge bag of fava beans from the market, I can’t help but feel disappointed by the small yield. However, recently, I made the life-changing discovery of good quality frozen peeled fava beans at my local supermarket. This has opened up a world of cooking opportunities, where fava beans, a legume we associate with springtime, becomes a year round possibility.
Earlier this year, I deep dived into Rachel Roddy’s very excellent book An A-Z of Pasta. I made several dishes for my son’s birthday, including her paccheri with fava bean pesto. Rachel suggests using either fresh or frozen fava beans to create this vivid green pesto that is both creamy and light. The first time I made it was in January, during the depths of our winter, and each mouthful was a reprieve and a promise of times to come. It’s a feeling that I want to experience again and again.
Today’s recipe features a chunky fava bean puree which is tossed through roasted smashed potatoes. It’s a dish of contrasts - carby, crispy-edged potatoes brightened by the bright, herbaceous, creamy beans. It is a dish that speaks to the life-force of spring, even when eaten during deep winter.
Consider this chunky fava bean puree as a condiment that can be served in many ways. Follow Rachel Roddy’s lead and fold it through hot pasta. Or spread it onto crusty bread, per my 1990’s dinner party starter. Or use it as a base for any roasted vegetables such as cauliflower or carrots.
COOK / EAT / SHARE
I have a new recipe up on ABC Everyday - onigiri with shiitake and carrots. We love onigiri. In many ways, it is the perfect snack (they are particularly good for long plane rides!). They are also easy to make at home. I bought a cheap plastic double onigiri maker online years ago and it makes the process super quick. But you can also make it by hand. All the instructions are in the recipe.
Also another new recipe this week is this glorious Miso leeks with white beans on NYT Cooking. It’s a reinterpretation of the classic French dish leeks vinaigrette, but with the Hetty touch. It has beautifully complex flavours, jammy leeks slightly sweet from the miso. I love this recipe and I hope you enjoy it too.
Cooking from Tenderheart: The taro craving struck this week, so I’m making my Sunday night sticky rice this week! If you don’t like taro or it’s hard to find, use potato. Potato sticky rice is a dish my mum made often when we were growing up. The sweet potato panang curry is also calling to me - save the leftovers to make the sweet potato panang curry pizza on the next page. The spinach and black bean enchilada bake is also an excellent option for weeknights - if you’re feeling lazy like me, use store-bought marinara/tomato sauce (load it up with some cumin, if you like).
THIS WEEK’S RECIPE
Minted fava beans with roasted potatoes
© Hetty Lui McKinnon for To Vegetables, With Love
Frozen fava beans are fairly common in America but if you can’t find them, substitute with frozen peas. They are a more than worthy substitute. Feel free to also dabble with the herbs. While mint is energizing, basil or parsley would bring a nice edge too. Of course, I am always making a case for dill, so give that a go. If you want more greens, add some baby spinach leaves or rocket/arugula or toss in some charred asparagus or sugar snap peas.
Serves 3-4
900g (2 pounds) fingerling or small potatoes, washed and cut into 4 to 5 cm ( 1.5 to 2-inch) chunks
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
450g (1 pound) shelled frozen or fresh fava (broad beans)
Large handful mint leaves (1/2 cup / 15g), plus more to serve
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast or grated parmesan
juice of 1/2-1 lemon (2-4 tablespoons), plus more to serve
2-3 tablespoons toasted sunflower seeds or pine nuts
Preheat oven to 425ËšF / 220ËšC. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the potatoes and cook for 15 minutes. Drain. Allow to cool for 3-4 minutes and then transfer them to a baking sheet. Using the bottom of a glass, jar or heel of your hand, crush the potatoes. Drizzle generously with olive oil, season with sea salt and black pepper and place in the oven and roast until golden and crispy, 25-30 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring another pot of salted water to the boil. Add the fava/broad beans and blanch until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to stop them from cooking further. Drain again.
In a blender or food processor, add the fava/broad beans, mint, garlic, nutritional yeast, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, lemon juice and season well with sea salt. Pulse several times until it becomes a chunky paste (it does not have to be smooth and you can leave it chunkier if you prefer).
Transfer the fava/broad bean mix to a shallow wide bowl or platter. Add the warm potatoes, drizzle with a little olive oil, season with sea salt and black pepper and gently toss to coat the potatoes. To serve, squeeze over more lemon juice, top with mint leaves and scatter over the sunflower seeds or pine nuts.
If you’re looking for a newsletter recipe, see my Substack recipe archive here. For recipes with a 🔒 symbol, you will need a paid subscription. Everything else is free.
🥦 My cookbook, Tenderheart is for cooking vegetables, all year round. Pick up your copy here. It is also mostly vegan (or vegan-izable) and gluten-free adaptable.
I made a variation of this dish using seasonal local produce by swapping favas for a 50/50 mix of lima beans and green peas. It was delicious and hearty, yet light. The minted beans can stand on their own as a lovely spring dip for raw veggies an crackers (a la guacamole or hummus).