Rosemary potatoes with goat cheese and balsamic reduction and 2011 Ex Umbris Syrah.

Secret Santa’s who give wine are the Best! Here’s to Ex Umbris Syrah!

December 15, 2013 Posted by Robin Renken Farmer's Market recipes, Grapes and Varietal's, Syrah, Wine and Food Pairings No Comments

Potatoes and Syrah! Yeah, I bet you are thinking that the exclamation point is a little out of place. But…my potatoes are sexy and paired nicely with the Ex Umbris Syrah. Here’s the lowdown on this quick and easy dish that you can share, or, like me enjoy as a quick dinner.

: thinly sliced potatoes

So we start with some potatoes that I picked up at the farmers market. I recommend getting your potatoes from a farmer that you know. Did you know that most big potato farmers that grow for big companies won’t eat their own potatoes? This is because of all the chemicals they can absorb. So..buy small potatoes and from small organic family farms. Mine were a mix of white, red and purple potatoes and I sliced them thinly on a mandolin.

Then I went to the backyard and picked some rosemary and tossed liberal amounts of that in with the potatoes.

I pulled out my rod iron skillet and heated some canola oil and dropped in my potatoes and rosemary. As they were finishing I added a little salt & pepper ( I like the pink himalayan salt and the lemon pepper that each come in their own grinder from Trader Joe’s) I drained them on a paper towel.

Then I layered them on a small plate with goat cheese. (Three layers all total I think)

They got a drizzle of balsamic reduction at the end to give them a nice tie in with the Syrah.

So here it is! My solo dinner with a beautiful bottle of 2011 Ex Umbris Syrah, courtesy of the best Secret Santa on the planet!

This beautiful wine comes from Owen Roe in the Columbia Valley and has a story… I love wines with a story!

“This wine was introduced as a one-time bottling in 2002 after a wild fire struck the vineyard’s surrounding hillsides. The residual ash and smoke resonated in the Syrah grapes, creating a very memorable wine. Year after year, we are asked to develop a Syrah to keep the story of this wine alive! Now, 10 vintages later, we hope you will enjoy this bold Syrah comprised from several exceptional vineyards in the Columbia, Yakima and Walla Walla Valleys.”

Stay tuned as I find a pairing to go with my other Secret Santa wine…a beautiful Vouvray!