Food & Beer Friday :: Citra & purple potatoes.

Last weekend was beautiful.  While I'm regretting not heading out to the beach, even solo (damn you tropical storm), I definitely enjoyed soaking up the sun right at home.  It was one of those productive and fun weekends.  Oddly enough, I may have finally converted to hops.  I keep telling D that I've grown up; my taste buds are changing.  I'm taking red onions and banana peppers on my pizza and salad at our weekly Trophy Brewing dates.  With summer beers in full swing, I continually find myself choosing hops over my previous sweeter summer favorite.

That being said, it's really odd that I would pick up an IPA.  Flying Dog's Citra Single Hop Imperial IPA caught my eye, and I figured I should branch out a bit.  One aspect I love about some hoppy beers is that floral hop flavor.  Citra had that taste.  Since the floral flavor is prominent, the beer doesn't overwhelm me with hop bitterness.  At first I thought it may be a little too easy to take down at 10% alcohol but it is actually perfect for just sipping on with a snack.  I would consider this more of a nightcap than a BBQ beer.  

And about that snack?  After reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, I'm making more of an effort to shop the amazing farmers markets in Raleigh and take advantage of what is in season.  I picked up these great purple potatoes a couple of weeks ago.  I simply boiled them a bit and threw them into a homemade potato salad with ingredients I already had at home.  Simple and delicious.  Initially we had it as a side with some venison burgers and a local lettuce salad.  I ate on it for days, and it only got better.

Now head on over and check out Sarah's pick for the week.  Have a food or beer post from this week? Link up with us!

<a href="http://skinnyjeanschailatte.com/search/label/Food%20Beer%20Fridays" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh568/sknnyjeanschai/ScreenShot2013-03-20at85155PM_zpsd814f054.png" border="0" /></a>