Warm Baby Potato Bowl with Herbed Cottage Cheese, Chives, and Cucumbers
- Devon Tonneson
- Jul 5
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 11
Symptom check-in
POTS: I had dizziness every time I stood up today and my heart rate jumped fast today. I wanted something salty with a real carb, so I salted the potatoes well and made the cottage-cheese base savory instead of leaving it plain.
Vestibular migraine: I had no vestibular migraine symptoms today — no vertigo, no nausea, no vomiting, and no light sensitivity.
Lupus: I had no rash, no body aches, no fever, and no nausea from my anti-rejection meds today.
Disorder safety check
Condition | Works? | Why |
POTS | Yes | Potatoes provide carbohydrates, while cottage cheese and added salt make the bowl easy to build around sodium |
Vestibular migraine | Usually | Mild ingredients and no strong acidic sauce; chives are easy to reduce if strong allium flavors bother the character |
Lupus | Not specifically targeted | Nutritious and protein-containing, but this meal is mainly designed around POTS symptoms rather than inflammation |
Recipe
Ingredients
Makes 2 bowls
Baby potatoes
1 lb baby Yukon Gold or small yellow potatoes
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Freshly ground black pepper
Creamy herbed cottage-cheese base
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp finely chopped chives
1 tbsp finely chopped dill, optional
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
Black pepper
Cucumber
4–6 small Persian cucumbers
Pinch of salt
Finishing
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives
Extra olive oil, optional
Freshly ground black pepper
Flaky salt, optional
Steps
1. Wash the potatoes
Put the baby potatoes in a colander.
Rinse them thoroughly under cold running water.
Scrub off any visible dirt.
Leave the skins on.
Try to use potatoes that are roughly the same size so they cook evenly.
If some are much larger than the others, cut those in half.
2. Boil the potatoes first
Boiling before roasting gives you the soft, creamy centers visible in the photo.
Put the potatoes into a medium saucepan.
Cover them with cold water by about 1 inch.
Salt the water.
Put the pot over high heat.
Bring to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce to a steady simmer.
Cook for about 12–18 minutes, depending on size.
Check them with a small knife.
The knife should slide into the center easily, but the potatoes should not be falling apart.
Drain thoroughly.
3. Steam-dry the potatoes
This is an easy step to skip, but it helps them brown.
Return the drained potatoes to the warm empty pot.
Leave them uncovered for 2–3 minutes.
Shake the pot once or twice.
The residual heat evaporates surface moisture.
4. Season the potatoes
Heat the oven to 425°F.
Transfer the potatoes to a sheet pan.
Drizzle with olive oil.
Sprinkle with:
kosher salt
garlic powder
black pepper
Roll the potatoes around with your hands or a spoon until evenly coated.
Do not crowd them too tightly.
5. Roast until golden
Put the sheet pan into the oven.
Roast for 15 minutes.
Remove the pan.
Turn each potato so another side touches the pan.
Return to the oven for another 10–15 minutes.
They are finished when:
the skins are wrinkled,
several sides are golden,
and the centers are completely tender.
If you want them closer to the photo, keep them whole rather than smashing them.
6. Make the cottage-cheese base
While the potatoes roast:
Put the cottage cheese into a bowl.
Add Greek yogurt.
Add olive oil.
Add:
2 tablespoons chives
dill, if using
garlic powder
salt
black pepper
Stir thoroughly.
You want it creamy but still visibly textured.
For a smoother version
If you want the base more whipped:
Put half of the cottage cheese mixture into a blender or food processor.
Blend for 10–15 seconds.
Stir it back into the remaining cottage cheese.
That gives you a creamy base without losing all of the curds.
7. Taste the creamy base
Taste before assembling.
For the POTS-targeted version, this should taste noticeably savory, not bland.
If it needs:
more salt → add another pinch
more richness → add a little olive oil
more freshness → add chives or dill
looser texture → add 1 tablespoon Greek yogurt
Refrigerate while the potatoes finish so it stays cold.
8. Prepare the cucumbers
Wash the cucumbers thoroughly.
Dry them.
Cut each cucumber lengthwise in half.
If they are long, cut each half crosswise once so they are easier to eat.
Sprinkle very lightly with salt.
The photo keeps the cucumber almost completely plain, so I would not turn it into a dressed salad.
9. Chop the chives
Rinse the chives.
Dry them thoroughly.
Gather them into a bundle.
Slice very finely.
You want a lot.
The chives in the photo are not a garnish in the usual three-specks-on-top sense. They are a major part of the bowl.
10. Assemble the creamy base
Divide the cottage-cheese mixture between two bowls.
Spread it across roughly half to two-thirds of the bottom of each bowl.
Keep it in a thick layer rather than flattening it completely.
11. Add the potatoes while warm
Take the potatoes straight from the oven.
Let them sit for about 2 minutes.
Arrange them over the creamy cottage-cheese mixture.
The potatoes should still be warm enough to slightly soften the cottage cheese underneath without completely heating it through.
12. Add the cucumbers
Arrange the cucumber halves along one side of each bowl.
Keep them separate from the hot potatoes so they stay cold and crisp.
That hot-cold contrast is part of what makes the bowl work.
13. Finish with chives
Scatter the chopped chives generously over the potatoes and cottage cheese.
Add freshly cracked black pepper.
Taste one potato with some of the creamy base.
Add flaky salt if it still needs more seasoning.
Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the top if you want the glossy finish in the photo.
