When I told Joy I was going to be in Croatia for a few weeks, she asked about a dish she saw mentioned on @kristencdonnelly’s Instagram account a while back, combining potatoes with greens. She felt it would be a nice fit for fall cooking. I immediately knew she meant blitva. This quintessential dish is everywhere in Croatia: a rustic side dish that is equally at home with meat as it is with grilled fish and seafood. It’s a simple dish but the magic is in the ratio of potato to Swiss chard and the level of mashing you prefer—and you’ll find every recipe differs in this regard, from restaurants to Nonna’s kitchen. Feel free to experiment and make it your own.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Swiss chard
- 4 quarts water, salted
- 4 medium-large Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1¼ lbs), peeled and cut cross wise into ½-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Optional: ½ lemon
Preparation
To prepare the chard: Trim the ends from the stems. Cut off and discard any wilted parts of the leaves. Strip the stems from the leaves and cut the stems into ½-inch pieces. Cut the leaves in half lengthwise, then crosswise into ½-inch strips. Wash the leaf and stem pieces thoroughly, then drain them well.
Bring 4 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large pot. Add the potatoes and cook 20 minutes, until tender. Add the chard stems. After another 10 minutes add the leaves, then cook until all the vegetables are very tender, an additional 5 minutes. Drain.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook just until it begins to brown, about 1 minute. Add the Swiss chard and potatoes; season them lightly with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring and breaking up the potatoes with a wooden spoon, until the liquid has evaporated and the potatoes are coarsely mashed. (You want to leave some small pieces of potatoes whole for the best rustic texture). Adjust the heat if needed to prevent the potatoes from browning. Add another drizzle of olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir and serve hot.
Optional: Squeeze half a lemon over the top just before stirring and serving for added acidity and brightness to complement fish or seafood
About this recipe
Tip: It tastes even better reheated the next day, but does not freeze well.
