Spud Sunday: Mexican Fave – The Daily Spud

The Steps:To prepare the jars and lids, turn your oven on to 140C, wash the jars in hot soapy water, rinse thoroughly, and sterilise, either by boiling in water for 10 minutes and then drying in the oven or just by keeping the jars in the oven for at least 30 minutes before using. Once sterlised, allow the jars to cool. To sterilise the lids, dip in boiling water and allow to dry.Add the cider vinegar to a nonreactive saucepan along with the cloves of garlic. Place over a medium heat until the vinegar just starts to bubble, then remove from the heat and allow to cool.Scrub the baby potatoes and leave them whole and unpeeled. Peel the carrots and cut into chunks around the same thickness as your potatoes. Slice the onion thickly.Bring about 1l of salted water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the potatoes and carrots, bring back to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until just barely cooked through, but still firm. Drain completely, reserving the boiling liquid, and allow to cool.Pour the reserved boiling liquid over the sliced onion and leave for 3-4 minutes to soften, then drain.When the vinegar has cooled, add salt to taste.Distribute the potatoes, carrots and onions amongst your prepared jars, along with some fresh oregano leaves, pour over the vinegar so that it covers the vegetables and comes to within about 3mm of the top of each jar (you can discard the garlic or add to the jars as you prefer). Seal and store in a cool, dark place for 2 or more weeks to allow the flavours to develop.The Variations:As noted previously, the amounts and types of vegetables used here can be varied according to what you have and what you like. You could also try different vinegars – I hear that Lily’s mother also pickles potatoes using rice wine vinegar, which is something I intend to try.