The editors at Food 52 released two books last month presenting a culinary paradox. In one corner, we have weighing in with 60 recipes for sorbets, sandwiches, no-churn ice cream and more that will make you scream, Ice Cream & Friends. In the next corner, tipping the scales with 60 new ways to turn salad into dinner and lunch, we have the greens your mother always told you to eat, Mighty Salads.

Ice Cream & Friends shares the best of Food52's contributors' recipes such as cinnamon roll ice cream, Saltine-brownie ice cream sandwiches and Burnt Toast Ice Cream. While Mighty Salads, shares the editors' favorite salad picks including Thai Pork Salad with Crisped Rice, Roasted Potato Salad with Mustard-Walnut Vinaigrette, and Fried Eggplant, Tomato & Peach Salad with Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette.

We have no clear winner here. The verdict is a draw. Both are worthy opponents full of delicious recipes from the Food52 community. Find a balance - live harmoniously and have your salads but eat your ice cream too. Summer is coming after all - it is the time for cooling off and eating lighter meals. 

Perfect for summer, we have two recipes graciously shared by Ten Speed Press and Food52 - one for a refreshing boozy popsicle and another for a light and delicious potato salad. Be sure to head over to our contest page, where three lucky members will win a copy of each book. May the odds be ever in your flavor. (See what I did there?)

 

Blood Orange-Negroni Pops
Makes 10 pops | From Cristina Sciarra

 
After drinking your first, or fiftieth, Negroni, you know you want more-more citrus, more bitter, more deep-hued allure. And the answer, sometimes, is not to order another but rather to mix it with blood orange juice and freeze it into an ice pop (shown on page iv). Somehow it's more of a Negroni than the liquid version, more sultry in color, vivid in flavor, and still boozy. Rumor has it that eating three pops is the sweet-smiley, silly, not-sloppy-spot.
 
1/3 cup (65g) sugar
2 cups (475ml) blood orange juice (from about 8 oranges)
1/4 cup (60ml) gin
1/4 cup (60ml) sweet vermouth
1/4 cup (60ml) Campari
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
 
1. In a large bowl (preferably with a pour spout), whisk together 3/4 cup (175ml) water and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Whisk in the blood orange juice, gin, vermouth, Campari, and orange zest. 
 
2. Divide the mixture evenly into pop molds. Freeze for at least 5 hours before serving.

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Roasted Potato Salad with Mustard-Walnut Vinaigrette
Roasted roots + garlicky, mustardy vinaigrette + nuts + herbs + egg topper
 
Serves 6 to 8 | From Shannon Hulley
 
This potato salad celebrates its namesake ingredient, the humble and excellent spud, instead of allowing it to drown in a bowlful of gloppy white dressing. Roasted until browned, the potatoes themselves are the stars, and after a light mash, get to bathe in a mustardy vinaigrette. Basil adds a surprising freshness, toasted walnuts play up the potatoes' roasted side, and all of the flavors together will speak to you even at room temperature. So without the soft-boiled egg on top, this salad is good for potlucks, picnics, and backyard parties. Celebrate accordingly. 
 
4 pounds (1.8kg) mixed marble potatoes or other small potatoes
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced 
6 to 8 eggs
1 cup (100g) walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
Leaves from 1 bunch basil, torn
 
Mustard-Walnut Vinaigrette
 
2 garlic cloves
Sea salt
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1⁄4 cup (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons walnut oil
Freshly ground black pepper
 
1. Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on two parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheets, drizzle with olive oil, and toss to evenly coat. Season with salt and pepper. Roast, shaking the sheets occasionally, until tender and brown, 40 to 45 minutes.
 
2. To make the vinaigrette, place the garlic on a cutting board, sprinkle with a couple of generous pinches of salt, and finely chop and smash it into a paste with the side of a chef's knife. Whisk together the garlic paste, lemon juice, vinegar, and both mustards until smooth. Gradually whisk in the olive and walnut oils until emulsified. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
 
3. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl. Toss in the scallions and the vinaigrette. Using the back of a mixing spoon, gently smash some of the potatoes just enough to break the skins. Be careful not to make mashed potatoes. Allow the dressed potatoes to sit at room temperature for 45 to 60 minutes. 
 
4. About 15 minutes before serving, bring a pot of water to a boil. Lower the eggs, a few at a time, into the water and boil for 6 minutes. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon, plunge them into an ice bath until cool enough to handle, and then peel them.
 
5. Just before serving, stir in the walnuts and basil. Arrange the salad on plates. Top each serving with a soft-boiled egg and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

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