Traditional skordalia-potato garlic dip is one of the famous appetizers of Greek cuisine. This skordalia recipe is made with mashed potatoes, roasted garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and a bit of lemon juice. This delicious dip is usually served with fried cod or/and boiled beets salad, but you can enjoy it with a variety of other dishes.
If you love this Classic Chess Pie, you will also love this Egg Pie, Buttermilk Pie or Brown Butter Chess Pie!
Why this recipe sings
Skordalia, also known as aliada, is a delicious potato garlic dip usually served with fried fish like cod, fried eggplant, zucchini, or beets salad.
It has a creamy texture very similar to mashed potatoes and a garlicky flavor.
For Greeks, skordalia is associated with the 25th of March, the Greek independence day, where most families enjoy it for lunch alongside fried battered cod-bakaliaro.
Skordalia is very easy to prepare and can be made with potatoes but also with bread. Other ingredients can be walnuts or almonds. Vinegar or lemon juice is often added for a tangy flavor. Variations of the basic recipe include using eggs to give it a creamy texture or making it less thick, a sauce similar to aioli.
In some recipes, fish stock is used along with the other ingredients. A piece of cod fish boils for 20 minutes in water to make fish stock. The stock is then added to the mashed potatoes to create a creamier result, like a sauce.
Traditionally it is made with a mortar and pestle, but a potato masher and/or a food processor will work just fine.
The process is simple. In our recipe, after boiling and mashing the potatoes, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil are added in and create a smooth, delicious dip. The garlic can be freshly minced, roasted, or in any form you like. The freshly minced raw garlic will result in a stronger skordalia and the roasted will have a milder flavor.
Here is what you need
- Potatoes. Any kind of potatoes will be fine.
- Garlic. It can be roasted or minced raw.
- Extra virgin olive oil.
- Lemon. Alternatively, you can use red wine vinegar.
- Sea salt.
- Fish stock. Not shown above. Optional. Certain recipes use a couple of tablespoons of fish stock to loosen up the dip and make it more saucy.
How to make this recipe
In this recipe, the garlic is roasted for a milder flavor. A whole garlic bulb roasts wrapped in aluminum foil, and the garlic paste is added to the mashed potatoes. One garlic head gives a mild sweet flavor. You can roast more cloves and tune in the garlic flavor to your liking. Please see the recipe notes for additional garlic options.
Preheat the oven to 220°C / 425°F.
Cut the top of the garlic bulb and place it in a large piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle a bit of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Wrap in the foil and roast in the oven for 3- minutes.
Peel the potatoes and quarter them. Boil potatoes in well-salted water until tender, about 15 minutes.
Drain the potatoes well. Place them in a large bowl, and while they are still very warm, mash them with a potato masher or ricer.
Squeeze the garlic paste out of the roasted garlic. Add it to the potatoes. Add the olive oil and juice from one lemon and mix well with a wooden spoon. Adjust sea salt to taste.
What to serve with skordalia
This garlicky dip is traditionally served with fried cod and a beets salad. You can serve it with any other seafood dish, such as these codfish cakes or chickpea fritters. Include it in this amazing Greek grazing board next to smoked mackerel, anchovies, or fried calamari for your next gathering.
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Skordalia-Greek Potato Garlic Dip
Equipment
- aluminum foil
- Stockpot
- Large bowl
- potato masher or potato ricer
Ingredients
- 2 lbs medium russet potatoes peeled and quartered
- 1 garlic head
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon juiced
- sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220°C / 425°F
- Cut the top of the garlic bulb and place it in a large piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle a bit of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Wrap in the foil and roast in the oven for 3- minutes.
- Boil potatoes in well-salted water until tender, about 15 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes well. Place them in a large bowl, and while they are still very warm, mash them with a potato masher or ricer.
- Squeeze the garlic paste out of the roasted garlic. Add it to the potatoes. Add the olive oil and lemon juice and mix well with a wooden spoon. Adjust sea salt to taste.Serve skordalia with boiled beets salad and fried codfish.
Notes
Different garlic methods
If you use raw garlic for this recipe, mince 4 -5 cloves. As every mincing method produces different strength results, I suggest adding garlic to the mashed potatoes a little at a time until you find the flavor you like.Hand-Minced With a Knife
The trick is to keep passing the knife over the garlic until it’s all been finely chopped. This method releases more fluids from the garlic cells.In terms of flavor, the hand-minced garlic has a relatively gentle, pleasant garlicky flavor that is not overpowering.
Garlic Press
The garlic from this method tastes quite strong and overpowering compared to the hand-minced cloves.Mortar and Pestle
Pulverizing garlic in a mortar and pestle produces a sweet flavor with a not-too-strong burn.Knife-Blade Puréeing
This is the most challenging method. Start by roughly mincing the garlic. Then, by placing the edge of your knife, push down and crush it into a purée. I suggest doing it gradually with one clove first; adding too many will not be beneficial with this method. Next, sprinkle salt on top of the garlic; it helps break it down. The raw, pureed garlic will have an intense flavor.Using a microplane
Microplanning garlic cloves produce the most intense, strong flavor of all.Roasting
With this method, you can use one whole garlic head or more. Roasted garlic will have a sweet, mild flavor because it slightly caramelizes as it roasts in the oven. Place a head of garlic on a piece of aluminum foil. Cut the top, sprinkle some salt, and add a few dried herbs, like thyme, oregano, or sage. Drizzle some olive oil and wrap the garlic tight in the foil. Roast in a scorching oven, 220°C / 425°F for about 30 minutes until garlic is very soft. Remove the foil and let the garlic cool. Squeeze the cloves and push out the garlic paste. For more info about garlic mincing methods, check this article at seriouseats.com. Nutritional Info – Please remember that the nutritional information provided is only estimated and can vary based on the products used.Nutrition
