Taking a stand

As I sit here now, typing, I have to admit that I'm quite opinionated about potato salad. And this after growing up in a sheltered potato salad world, blissfully eating the only version I'd ever known. It's hard to pinpoint exactly this seismic shift occurred...but apparently now is the time to take a stand. Against overly mayo-y, texturally mushy potato salads.

Afterall, what better time to get my message out to the public (ha!) than right before the 4th of July, right?

Since discovering myself, at least in the potato sense of the term, I've made quite a few potato salads that I've really enjoyed. This is one I tried for the first time this summer and will definitely be repeating in the future. No mayo in sight, you can tell it's actually POTATOES in there (and not just glop), and there are fresh, yummy vegetables!

Fresh from the Market Potato Salad (adapted from Cooking Light, June 2010)
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2 pounds of fingerling potatoes, cut into “bite-sized” chunks
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 yellow summer squash or zucchini, diced
¾ cup sliced sweet onion
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
2 cups arugula

Preparation:

Place your cut potatoes into a pot of salted (non-boiling) water. Bring the potatoes and water to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, allowing the potatoes to cook through. This only takes a few minutes, depending on your definition of "bite-sized".


While the potatoes are cooking, slightly cook the zucchini or summer squash. I suggest lightly steaming or grilling, but sauteeing works as well. It should still retain some of its crunch - just not be raw.

Now is also a good time to assemble the "dressing". Remember, this isn't a mayo potato salad. Combine the olive oil, tarragon, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper.

Once your potatoes have cooked, drain the water and put the potatoes back into the hot pot for 30 seconds - 1 minute to get rid of the excess moisture.

Then toss the potatoes and the rest of the veggies into the dressing.

It is superbly fresh and satisfying.

I apologize for being preachy about the whole thing, but I clearly have stronger-than necessary opinions on the whole matter.