Jim Dixon wrote about food for WW for more than 20 years, but these days most of his time is spent at his olive oil-focused specialty food business Wellspent Market. Jim’s always loved to eat, and he encourages his customers to cook by sending them recipes every week through his newsletter. We’re happy to have him back creating some special dishes just for WW readers.

The Greeks make a garlicky potato dip with nuts and stale bread, and old memories of eating at the Alexis on Burnside might’ve prompted me to throw some leftover beans and potatoes into the food processor. Whatever the cause, I’m glad I did because this is one of my favorite things to eat with good chips. The spuds lighten it up so it’s not as dense as straight bean dip.

Using toum, a Lebanese-style garlic sauce, makes throwing it together even easier as long as you don’t try to make the toum yourself. The Seattle-made Karam’s garlic sauce is an emulsion of garlic and olive oil, and it lets you add lots of flavor without peeling a single clove. You might have to call around to find it, but it’s worth the effort to have it on hand (we sell it at Wellspent but it seems to go quickly, so check first).

White Bean & Potato Dip

2 cups cooked white beans

2 yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters

¼ cup Lebanese-style toum (aka Karam’s garlic sauce)*

2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon katz Gravenstein apple cider vinegar

* 4-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped, plus 2 tablespoons more olive oil

Cook the potatoes in well-salted water until easily pierced with a small knife, about 20 minutes. Drain and let cool until you can handle them, then peel with your fingers.

Combine the beans and potatoes with the garlic sauce or garlic, pepper, olive oil, and vinegar in a food processor. Blitz until smooth, then taste and add salt as needed. Serve with chips or crackers.