Mediterranean Potato Salad

Best Potato Salads for your 4th of July BBQ

BE PICTURED IN; CHARACTERIZED IN:

How come it’s almost Memorial Day? “Explain it to me Lucy! As a kid, a week felt like an eternity.

Speaking of picnic salads, everyone needs a good potato salad in their picnic repertoire, right? This fits the bill.

It’s a kind of potato salad a la Nicoise. No mayo, the dressing is a mustard vinaigrette; new potatoes are tossed with green beans, roasted red peppers, red onions, chopped Kalamata olives, parsley, and arugula.

The best thing is that you can make it days in advance. The vinaigrette acts as a marinade, the longer the salad sits the more flavor it will acquire.

preparation time
20 minutes

cooking time
40 minutes

total time
60 minutes

portions
10
up to 12 servings

This recipe makes a large batch of potato salad, perfect for a picnic or potluck. You can easily halve the ingredients if you want a more moderate amount of potato salad.

To roast peppers, rub with a little olive oil, place on a griddle lined with aluminum foil under a broiler and grill until all sides are completely black, turning as needed. Place the blackened peppers in a bowl and cover with a plate until cool. Then peel off the blackened pieces. For more details on different methods of roasting peppers, see: Marinated Roasted Peppers.

4 lb small new potatoes or new potatoes, scrubbed clean
salted water (1 1/2 teaspoon Salt for every liter of water) for cooking the potatoes
1 lb fresh, tender green beanstrimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (4 cups of prepared green beans)
3 big roasted red peppersStone removed, flesh cut into 2 x 1/4-inch strips (about 2 cups or a 16-ounce jar, drained)
3/4 Cup Red onionchopped
1 Cup Kalamata and green olivescored and chopped (mini chopper works well for this)
A large handful of fresh Italian parsley leaves, roughly chopped
A big handful of fresh baby arugula leaves

Dressing:

2 tablespoon full grain Mustard
1/3 Cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried tarragon (or herbs de Provence)
1/2 teaspoon kosher Salt
1/3 Cup Extra virgin olive oil

Boil potatoes:

Place whole potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water, about 1 inch above the level of the potatoes. Add salt (1 1/2 teaspoons for every quart of water used). Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to maintain a simmer.

Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes (or longer depending on the size of the potatoes) until easily pierced with the tines of a fork or sharp knife. Check regularly for doneness.

Then drain the potatoes and let them cool on a baking sheet. Allow to cool to room temperature or warm slightly. (You can speed up the chilling by placing it in the fridge if you have space.)
Blanch green beans:

While the potatoes are cooking, bring another pot of salted water to a boil (2 liters of water, 1 tablespoon of salt). Add the green beans.

Blanch for 4 to 5 minutes, more or less depending on the age and toughness of the beans.

Once softened, drain and place in a bowl of ice water to shock and stop the cooking.
Make the vinaigrette:

While the potatoes and green beans are cooking, prepare the vinaigrette. In a bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, tarragon, salt, and olive oil.
Cut potatoes into bite-sized pieces:

Once the potatoes have cooled, cut them into bite-sized 3/4-inch to 1-inch pieces. Pour into a large bowl.
Mix the ingredients:

In the bowl, add the green beans, roasted pepper strips, red onion, and olives. Serve with the vinaigrette.

Leave to marinate until ready to serve.
Mix with parsley and arugula:

Once ready to serve, toss with the parsley and arugula.

You can easily do this ahead of time. It keeps for several days in the fridge.