Summer is just around the corner, or at least that’s what my calendar keeps telling me. But if you took a trip to my neck of the woods, I’m convinced you would agree with me when I say it feels much more like October than the middle of May. As far as states go, Iowa is the biggest tease of all. Hot, cold, rainy, sunny. Heck, it wouldn’t surprise me if it starting snowing tonight.
In response to this cold and rainy weather, I’m staging a protest against all things cold weather related (except black tights, which I begrudgingly wore to work today). Instead, I’m filling my kitchen with warm weather foods, like this potato salad, made with all sorts of yummy ingredients like basil, honey mustard, Parmesan, and olive oil.
I love the color contribution the purple fingerling potatoes make to this dish – even if the color has no impact on taste. Though I don’t normally have fingerling potatoes in my kitchen, these little beauties fell into my lap (one of the many perks of my job) and I have been itching for a reason to use them ever since. If you don’t have fingerling potatoes on hand, can’t find them, or don’t want to drop the extra cash to buy them, any small potato would work as a substitute. And since I am not big on drowning summer salads in mayonnaise, I’ve made this potato salad olive oil-based. Perfect for summer barbecues, or rainy May days in Iowa.
Fingerling Potato Salad
Ingredients:
*1 1/2 lbs. fingerling potatoes, or other small potato variety
*1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
*1 tsp. kosher salt
*1 cup fresh basil leaves
*1 Tbsp. lime juice
*1/3 cup olive oil
*2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
*2 Tbsp. honey mustard
*2 Tbsp. Greek yogurt or mayonnaise
Additional kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions:
*Place potatoes in a large pot with enough salted water to fully cover the potatoes. Bring water to boiling and continue to cook potatoes for 10 to 15 minutes, until fork tender. Transfer potatoes to a strainer and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
*Transfer strained potatoes to a large zip top bag with the cider vinegar and kosher salt. Shake to evenly coat and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to one day.
*Meanwhile, prepare the dressing. In a food processor or blender, combine the basil leaves, lime juice, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, honey mustard, and Greek yogurt or mayonnaise. Process or blend until creamy.
*Place the refrigerated potatoes in the food processor, with the dressing, and pulse until potatoes are coarsely chopped but not blended. Transfer to serving bowl and sprinkle with salt and black pepper.
Happy Cooking!
Madison
