My mother got some scapes at the farmers market last week, I looked up a recipe to use them in, and have somehow been calling them ramps since then. So many green things I’m not familiar with, so little time!

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds new potatoes, scrubbed
• water
• salt
• 3 cups scapes, roughly chopped
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter

These things are just silly!

Place the potatoes in a large pot and add enough water to cover. Add salt. Martha Stewart said to add enough that it ‘tastes like the ocean,’ but I just added a bunch (a tablespoon, maybe?) and didn’t bother tasting the water. Because yuck.

Bring the water to a boil, then add the scapes, cover, and remove from the heat. Let sit for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. You want to be able to easily stab one with a fork. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a skillet over high heat. While it warms, cut the potatoes in half. Cook the potatoes, cut-side down, until browned, a minute or two. Cook in multiple batches if necessary to ensure they all cook cut-side down, adding more oil for later batches if needed.

On the side while others get cooked.

Lower the heat to medium and add all the potatoes back to the pan. Add the butter and the scapes and cook until the potatoes are golden and crisp, 7-8 minutes.

Martha didn’t put the scapes back in, after the straining, but I quite enjoyed the flavor of the cooked scapes with the potatoes, and really, seems like kind of a waste of a bunch of greenery to just use it to flavor water!

New Potatoes with Garlic Scapes

Lightly adapted from Martha Stewart.

• 2 pounds new potatoes, scrubbed
• water
• salt
• 3 cups scapes, roughly chopped
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter

Place the potatoes in a large pot and add enough water to cover. Add salt. Bring the water to a boil, then add the scapes, cover, and remove from the heat. Let sit for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a skillet over high heat. While it warms, cut the potatoes in half. Cook the potatoes, cut-side down, until browned, a minute or two. Cook in multiple batches if necessary to ensure they all cook cut-side down, adding more oil for later batches if needed.

Lower the heat to medium and add all the potatoes back to the pan. Add the butter and the scapes and cook until the potatoes are golden and crisp, 7-8 minutes.