It is a glorious day today. With not one cloud in the sky, Alexa says it will be close to 60 degrees. (Actually, I am looking out the window of my office and I don’t need Alexa to tell me it will be warm this afternoon, but it is New England, it is April and, if you don’t like the weather, wait 15 minutes.)

I looked into my refrigerator before I walked upstairs. There are two big plastic covered bins of cavatappi with marinara sauce and sweet and spicy sausage I made for dinner last light. I will eat a bowl of the pasta for lunch.

For dinner, I looked in the crisper and found some arugula and lots of romaine. There is some blue cheese in the cheese drawer and there is half a pound of those little potatoes (from the Little Potato Company, you know). If I have pasta for lunch, I want something yummy and less caloric for dinner, something I have never made.

I grabbed Susie Middleton’s cookbook, “Fresh from the Farm,” and saw a recipe that calls for some of my favorite ingredients: greens, potatoes, maple syrup. I have almost everything except fingerling potatoes, but I have these teeny potatoes so I will use them. Dinner will be served by 6 p.m.

Roasted Fingerling Potato “Coins” and Arugula Salad

From Susie Middleton’s Fresh from the Farm (Taunton Press, Newtown, CT, 2014)

Serves 4

½ small red onion, very thinly sliced crosswise into little rounds

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

Kosher salt

1 teaspoon pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon raspberry jam

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

Freshly ground black pepper

1 pound fingerling potatoes, sliced crosswise into coins

4 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

3 ounces arugula, washed and dried (I used romaine, too)

½ teaspoon minced fresh garlic

1/3 cup crumbled good-quality blue cheese

2 tablespoons chopped toasted hazelnuts or almonds

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Cover a large sheet pan with parchment paper.

In a small nonreactive bowl, combine onion rings, 2 teaspoons vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt. Let sit, tossing occasionally, for 20 to 30 minutes. In another small bowl, whisk together remaining vinegar, maple syrup, soy sauce, raspberry jam, mustard, a good pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper.

Toss potatoes with 2 tablespoons oil and ½ teaspoon salt. Spread them out in a single layer on the parchment paper. Roast until they are tender all the way through and golden brown on the bottom, about 20 minutes, flipping with a spatula once after 10 to 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, distribute the arugula on four plates; in a small skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil and the minced garlic over medium-low heat. Stir gently and cook until garlic begins to sizzle, 4 to 6 minutes (do not let garlic brown). Remove pan from the heat and add vinegar mixture. Tilt the pan and whisk until mostly emulsified.

Scatter warm potatoes over the arugula. Drain the onion rings well and scatter a few across each salad. Sprinkle cheese around and spoon warm dressing over the salads. Garnish with nuts.

Lee White lives in Groton. She can be reached at leeawhite@aol.com.