Skordalia
Garlicky potato and olive oil puree, sharp with vinegar.
Ingredients
- 600 g Potatoes
- 5 cloves Garlic
- 2 tbsp Red wine vinegar
- 120 ml Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp Salt
Method
- Boil the potatoes until very tender, then drain.
- Pound the garlic with salt into a paste.
- Mash the warm potatoes with the garlic, then beat in the vinegar and olive oil until smooth.
- Serve at room temperature with bread or fried fish.
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About Skordalia
Skordalia is a Greek mezze staple, a thick garlic puree that sits somewhere between a dip, a sauce, and a side. It belongs to a family of Mediterranean garlic emulsions and, in its potato-based form, delivers pungent raw garlic tamed only by starch and fat. The name comes from the Greek word for garlic, and that is the point: this is unapologetically a garlic lover's dish, sharpened with red wine vinegar and enriched with a generous stream of extra-virgin olive oil.
The texture should be smooth and dense rather than airy, and the flavor lands bright and assertive, with vinegar cutting the richness of the oil and the raw garlic giving a lingering heat. The trick that makes this version work is pounding the garlic with salt into a paste before beating it into warm potatoes, which distributes the garlic evenly and keeps the puree from turning gluey. Traditionally it accompanies fried salt cod or beetroot, though it is just as good spread on bread or alongside grilled vegetables. Serve it at room temperature so the olive oil stays loose and the aroma opens up.
Skordalia: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Skordalia?
A serving has about 244 calories — 2.2g protein, 18.2g carbs, 18.5g fat, 2.2g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Skordalia gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Skordalia has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
How long does Skordalia take to make?
About 30 minutes start to finish, but only around 9 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
How many servings does Skordalia make?
This recipe makes 6 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.