The first time I read through this recipe, found in one of my old issues of Cook's Country, I thought, "ho-hum."
Potatoes and green beans with no mayo or sour cream for a dressing? This will be pretty bland and boring.
I promise you—not so! This is light and tasty and has a great zip due to the oil and vinegar dressing. It is easy to make and easy to take to a barbecue or picnic. It transports well—plus you don't have to worry (like I do about mayonnaise-based salads sitting outside too long) with this one.
Summer Garden Potato Salad
Serves 8-10 as a side dish
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons of white or red wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 1/4 cup mixed fresh herbs: chopped basil, chives, dill, mint, parsley, etc. whatever you have
- freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt, to taste
- 10 ounces fresh green beans, ends trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 pounds of small red potatoes, scrubbed
Make the dressing first: in a large bowl whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, shallot, herbs, pepper and salt. Set aside.
In a large pot of boiling, salted water, add the green beans and cook until slightly tender but still crisp, about 3-4 minutes. Remove them with a large slotted spoon and place directly in dressing. Toss them to coat evenly.
In still-boiling water, place the whole potatoes and cook until you can pierce them with a cake tester or sharp knife, about 8 minutes, depending upon their size.
Drain potatoes in colander. When cool enough to handle (but not completely cool), slice into quarters, or large bite-size pieces. Place with green beans and toss gently to coat.
Let sit for at least 30 minutes before serving, tossing gently once or twice. After a day or so, the potato salad will still taste great, but the bright green colors of the beans and the herbs will fade.
