No need to worry about the summer heat with this carefree potato salad. Serve cold or room temperature.
Photo by Sharri Wolfgang
SERVES 8
Make ahead. It tastes even better the second day.
2 pounds whole mini potatoes (or small red new potatoes, quartered)
½ red bell pepper, finely chopped, optional
½ small red onion, quartered and sliced or chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
¼ cup white wine or champagne vinegar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon capers, optional
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped dill
2–3 scallions (green part) thinly sliced, for garnish
In a large pot with enough water to cover (or a double boiler/steamer), over medium-high heat, boil potatoes until fork tender. Drain and pat dry. Allow to cool enough to handle. Place potatoes in a large bowl along with bell pepper, onions and garlic. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, honey, vinegar, oil, salt, pepper and pepper flakes to make a vinaigrette. Lightly toss the potatoes and one-half vinaigrette together until all ingredients are evenly combined. Taste and adjust salt. Add capers, parsley and dill, and lightly toss again. Place into a serving bowl and garnish with scallions. Save remaining vinaigrette for tossing later—as potatoes have a tendency to absorb liquid. Serve room temperature or cold. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container up to three days.
Chef Belinda’s tips and techniques
Potatoes and salt. Potatoes have a tendency to absorb salt. In preparing any potato dish, you may want to increase the amount of salt called for in the recipe—after tasting and verifying, of course. Likewise, adding potatoes can remove salt if you overdo it when cooking soups, sauces and stews. Just add a few potatoes, quartered, for 20–25 minutes to absorb the excess salt. Discard the potatoes, or serve them on the side as an appetizer, sprinkled with some freshly chopped herbs. Waste not, want not.
Think small. Making potato salad just got easier. Whole mini potatoes—about the size of large olives—are available in red, white and purple varieties in the produce section of major supermarket chains. They are perfectly suited to potato salad and do not require any peeling, slicing or chopping.
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