Grilled Portobello Mushroom Sandwich with Dill Aioli

Summer has finally arrived in the Bay Area.  I love it--it was 90 degrees today!  However, the last thing that I want to be doing is cooking in a hot kitchen.  My house was built in 1956 and I don't have air conditioning.  Luckily we don't really need it.  Still I wanted in and out of the kitchen and definitely didn't want to turn on the oven and so a sandwich with potato salad was a perfect choice.

Dill Aioli:

1/2 cup Vegenaise
2 tbsp minced dill pickle
1 tbsp minced capers
1 tbsp minced fresh dill
1 tsp red wine vinegar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Note:  Fresh dill is a perfect pairing for mushrooms, as well as potato salad so I used the same aioli for both.

Method:

• Mix all ingredients in a bowl and chill until ready to use.

Dill Potato Salad: 

1 1/2 lbs organic baby red creamer potatoes
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/2 cup finely diced dill pickle
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1 tbsp fresh minced dill
2 tbsp dill aioli (or more depending on how creamy you like your potato salad)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 cups blanched kale leaves (torn into bite size pieces--I add kale to everything but you can leave it out if you prefer)
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

• Boil potatoes until soft, about 15-20 minutes, drain and chill for about 10 minutes before slicing in half or quarters.
• Blanch kale for 30-45 seconds and rinse under cold water and drain.
• Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl and chill for about one hour for flavors to combine.

Sandwich Ingredients:

1 large portobello (per person), marinated and grilled
1-2 red bell peppers, grilled, skin and seeds removed and sliced
1 medium red onion, sliced and grilled
Romain lettuce leaves
Dill aioli
Sandwich rolls of choice
Salt and pepper

Method:

• Remove stems and gills from mushrooms.
• Marinate mushrooms for about 30 minutes in a mixture of minced garlic, minced rosemary, balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
• While mushrooms are marinating, grill peppers and onions and set aside.
• Grill mushrooms for about 4 minutes on each side until soft.
• Toast bread and pile on all the ingredients and serve with chilled potato salad.