Skordalia: Greek Garlic Dip with Potato and Almonds

Behind the white dip, a Greek table

It looks a lot like mashed potato, but one taste tells you it is a different dish. In Greek it is written σκορδαλιά, in English Skordalia. It is not softened with milk or butter; garlic, oil, and acidity take the front. The raw garlic and the sourness stand up sharply and cut the richness of fried food. It also appears as one dish among many in a meze spread, eaten with bread or vegetables.

There is no single formula for skordalia. Some versions use potato, some use soaked stale bread, and some add walnuts or almonds, and it differs from household to household. Greek Cooking Made Easy also mentions the name Aliada, and explains that the potato version goes with fish and the bread version with vegetables. It would be going too far, though, to take that as a rule for all of Greece. Nor can the nut-enriched version be called the one standard of the whole region. The home recipe here combines potato and almonds. Enjoy the texture that changes with bread or nuts.

Ingredients (serves 4)

This is a proportion adjusted for home cooking, for 4 as a side dish. If it stiffens after chilling, loosen it with the cooking water. Weigh the potatoes peeled, to 500 g. The raw garlic is the star, so for a first batch start with 3 cloves.

Small adjustments for stickiness and sourness

You use two bowls. The food processor is for the almond paste; a fork or masher is for the potatoes. By crushing the potatoes and the nuts separately, you can make the paste while the potatoes boil, and the whole thing is done in about 35 minutes. The sign that it is finished is that it holds together on a spoon and is soft enough to spread on a plate. Do not rely on time alone; look at how the skewer goes in and how many lumps remain.

You judge doneness by whether the skewer goes through without resistance. Potatoes the skewer catches on will leave hard lumps in the center even after mashing, so return them to the pot and boil them again until soft. Set the cooking water aside before draining. When adjusting the texture, add it in small amounts.

The almond paste may keep a little graininess. It stays on the tongue as a texture separate from the smoothness of the potato. On the other hand, avoid beating the potatoes hard in a machine. Don't overwork the boiled potatoes. Once they turn gluey, there is no saying that adding more oil will bring them back.

The strong aroma of raw garlic is this dip's character. If someone dislikes it, keep the amount modest from the start. If you notice at the end that it is too strong, you can dilute it by adding boiled, mashed potato, though you will then need to rebalance the salt, acidity, and oil. Adding lots of lemon or vinegar to mask the sharpness does not work. If it is too sour, rebalance the same way by adding potato.

Serving with bread, fish, and vegetables

Pairing it with fried salt cod is the traditional Greek combination. Serving it with sautéed or fried fresh cod in a home kitchen is a home adaptation. On the plate, start by putting a small amount beside the fish. Boiled beets or bread alongside is another way to eat it. If you cannot get beets, pairing it with boiled carrots or broccoli is a suggestion for home cooks.

Combined with the sweetness of vegetables, the garlic aroma softens. If you are also making a tomato-and-rusk starter, see the dakos recipe too. In skordalia the bread is spread with the dip; in dakos, hard rusk is softened and eaten. The role of the bread is different.

March 25: the white plate beside fried salt cod

March 25 is both Greek Independence Day and the Feast of the Annunciation. It is described as an exception day when fish may be eaten even during Great Lent, and Greek Cooking Made Easy says there is a custom of pairing fried salt cod with skordalia. Practice does not match across every denomination and household. What is described here is the Greek custom that source describes. This white plate appears on the March 25 feast table.

The differences between potato, bread, and nuts can be confirmed, but the sources checked here are not enough to draw a distribution map by region. In a home kitchen, you recreate the method of mashing potatoes and combining raw garlic with acidity. What is presented here is one of the formulas that vary from household to household, not the one orthodox recipe of any particular home.

Frequently asked questions

The nutrition figures are approximate values for 500 g potatoes, 50 g almonds, and 90 ml olive oil divided among 4 people. Bread and fish are not included, and small amounts of aromatics and acidic ingredients were not counted. Olive oil was converted at about 81.9 g, and changes from cooking were not corrected. These are estimates from the main ingredients, not measurements.

Can I make it without a food processor?

Use 50 g almond flour, grate 3 cloves of garlic, and mix with the acidic ingredients; that works as a home alternative. For whole almonds, grind them fine in a mortar. Flour can be mixed by hand. The potatoes can be mashed with a fork anyway, so there is nothing new to buy.

Which potato variety should I choose?

Either a floury or a waxy variety works. That said, it cannot be claimed that the flavor is exactly the same across varieties. More important than that: 500 g after peeling, soft through the center, and never in the machine.

Can I make it ahead?

Divide it into clean, shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. If the temperature is above 32°C, within 1 hour. A refrigerator at 4°C or below is the guide. Treat this as a conservative home guideline and finish it by the next day. Refrigerate early in shallow containers, and do not put leftovers that sat out at room temperature for a long time back into storage.

Is it still skordalia without nuts?

Potato formulas without nuts also exist. If you omit the almonds, add the cooking water starting with less. For people with allergies, you should also watch for contamination from the same utensils or products. Simply switching to a nut-free version cannot be called safe for everyone.

Sources