Makes 12 servings
I love Memorial Day! After a long cold Northeastern winter and a non-existant spring, the start of summer (even though it’s unofficial) sounds pretty amazing right now. We like to head to our local beach, set up the tent and frolic with the kiddos in the surf. By the time we come home, everyone is starving and I had better get dinner ready–quick–if I don’t want the whining to reach epic proportions.
Since the rest of our dinner can be thrown on the grill, I make the rest in advance. I’ll whip up a watermelon and feta salad, arrange a simple cheese plate, make a pitcher of lemonade and this festive potato salad.
Lots of people are potatophobic–they think that potatoes are fattening or unhealthy. It’s not true! In fact, potatoes are a rich source of Resistant Starch, which acts like fiber and helps you feel fuller longer. Plus, potatoes are an excellent source of the electrolyte potassium, which is important for heart health and athletic performance. And the blue variety is an especially good source of anthocyanins, a type of plant pigment with antioxidant activity. And oh yeah, potatoes are delicious! As long as you don’t deep fry them, or glop them up with lots of mayonnaise and added sugar, they’re a super healthy ingredient.
This recipe for Red, White & Blue Potato Salad is really easy and super versatile. As the directions note, you can either boil the potatoes, for a more traditional flavor, or roast them for a deeper taste. Boiling keeps the colors a bit brighter, if that helps you choose:) You’ll see that the recipe creates a bit more dressing than the potatoes need, which is intentional because I like serving them over a bed of greens. That way you don’t need any additional dressing for the salad. You can also try these variations:
- Add a can of Italian tuna
- Toss in a 1/4 cup of crumbled feta cheese
- Stir in some toasted walnuts
- Add 1/4 cup of halved olives
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds new or fingerling potatoes (mix of red, white and blue)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar (can be white balsamic, apple cider, maple or coconut vinegar)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (about 6 sprigs)
- 18 cups fresh greens, for serving (optional)
Preparation:
- Either boil potatoes for 20 minutes (add to a pot of boiling water) and drain, or roast for 35 minutes in a 400° oven, until tender. If roasting, drizzle potatoes with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with the salt.
- While the potatoes are cooking, combine the remaining olive oil in a large bowl and add the mustard, vinegar, lemon juice and thyme.
- Add the hot potatoes to the mustard dressing. Toss and let cool. Once cool enough to handle, slice the potatoes in half and toss again. You can cover and refrigerate the potatoes for up to a day before serving.
- To serve, place 11/2 cups of the greens in each serving bowl. Top with about 1 cup of the potatoes and serve.