Springtime Mash with Nettles and Wild Garlic

I don't know about you, but we love spring. It's the season when everything returns to life, the sun is shining, and the farmers' markets start to look abundant and appealing. Furthermore, it's the only time of the year when you can consume wild greens such as nettles or wild garlic. And that's why we tend to use them in as many dishes as possible.

Now, I will be honest and admit that growing up, I hated any nettles recipe I laid my eyes on. I didn't like the taste, the texture, and everything they represented. Plus, nettle dishes were way too green for my taste. I even tried some Italian nettle recipes during a trip, but my love for this ingredient didn't change.

Anyway, since I've become very interested in finding new tastes and cooking with as many raw ingredients as possible, I have given these greens another chance in the last few years. At first, I made a wild garlic and nettle pesto recipe which I loved more than I liked to admit. And that gave me the courage to try new things and find the best stinging nettle recipe.

Well, I can only say that we are still experimenting with creating these types of spring dishes. Still, our springtime mash is something that even any nettle non-believer will love. Here's what you have to do.

• First of all, if you have cooking gloves at home, you better use them. Nettles do sting, and it's not very pleasant to work with them.
• You will need to take each spring of nettles and wild garlic and wash it 4-5 times. These are wild greens, and you can even find small snails on them (if you do, give them a name and release them back into the outside world.)
• Let the washed greens relax in a bowl of water and move your focus to the potatoes. Peel and cut them into cubes. Give them a wash, then place them on a lined parchment paper sheet tray.
• Drizzle a tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle some salt on them. Toss everything around to coat each piece. Bake the potatoes in the preheated oven at 220 Celsius (430 Fahrenheit) for 30-40 minutes or until golden.

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• Place a pot of salted water on the stove and bring it to a boil. When it reaches the boiling point, add in there your prepared greens and boil them for 5 minutes or so.

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• When ready, take them out from the boiling water and transfer them into a bowl with ice water. This will allow them to cool down and get an even nicer green color.
• In the meantime, peel and chop an onion. Heat up the remaining olive oil in a pan and saute the onion along with as much dried chili as you like. You want the onion to be glossy and golden. So I suggest you keep the stove on medium heat.
• Take the greens out of the water and drain them as much as possible. Transfer the nettles and wild garlic to a chopping block and chop them until you get a mash. You can also do this in a food processor, but I do believe that it loses all texture. That's why I prefer the old school method.
• Place the chopped greens in your pan and stir to mix them with the onion.

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• Let it cook for a couple of minutes, then add the grated parmesan, double cream, ground ginger and garlic, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low, stir and let everything cook for 5 minutes.

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• Chop the cashew and heat it up in a small skillet. Set aside.

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• When the potatoes are ready, transfer them to the nettle and wild garlic mash and mix to combine. Give everything a taste, and add more seasoning if you need it.

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• It's time to serve. Transfer your meal to serving plates. Top with your favorite mature cheese (the saltier, the better), the prepared cashew and fresh chili. Eat as soon as possible with some crunchy bread.

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So this is it. I promise that you will love this recipe if you give it a try. Now, if you are not convinced by my promise regarding the amazing taste, you may want to know that nettles are super healthy. They are full of vitamins and minerals, good fats, and amino acids. Nettles promote good liver health and also work as a natural diuretic. Last but not least, these wild greens are indicated for people who suffer from high blood sugar or high blood pressure.

* We personally like to top everything with some spicy oil at the end, but it's not a must.

** If you want an even genuine experience, you can go into the forest and pick up your own nettles and wild garlic.