Does the thought of soggy potatoes drowning in mayo gross you out?
*raises hand*
I mean, seriously. A lot of the potato salads I’ve eaten have been boring. Soggy, overcooked Russets. Gallons of jiggly mayo. The sad, lone stalk of chopped celery added for random bits of crunch. Salt. Pepper. Boring.
I was asked to contribute to the State Fair of Texas cookbook that the Texas Dept. of Agriculture publishes annually. They requested a side dish. And, although I just spent the previous paragraph outlining my general distaste for traditional potato salad, it was, of course, the first thing that popped in my head when I thought “side dish”. So, why not switch it up, right?
I used fingerling potatoes in this recipe for three reasons: 1 – color, 2 – the lack of peeling and chopping required, and 3 – they were on sale. You may substitute the fingerlings with other thin-skinned tubers – red/new potatoes, Yukon golds, or even purple potatoes (I bet their earthy undertones would be dreamy in this recipe). You will need to cut larger potatoes into fourths.
I ditched the mayo in favor of a Texas Olive Ranch olive oil based vinaigrette made with three types of peppers: Anaheim, Shishito, and Serrano. With the seeds and ribs removed, the vinaigrette isn’t too spicy. Feel free to sub whatever peppers you have available.
The recipe for the vinaigrette makes more than you need for this recipe. Kept in a tightly sealed jar and refrigerated, you can use it for salads or as a marinade up to one week.
After I roasted the potatoes and tossed them with the pepper vinaigrette, I stirred in some blistered onions. The smoky, caramelized green onions were a nice addition as was the drizzle of the Mexican Crema, which I’d added toasted cumin to.
The cool thing about this potato salad is that it can be served hot, cold, or at room temp. It would make a great addition to grilled flank steak. We also enjoyed it with grilled Andouille sausage and as a filling for lettuce wraps with the addition of chickpeas for protein.
You can make this dish ahead of time, up to 24 hours in advance. As with any dish, freshness really counts here, so please do find the freshest peppers you can at the market.
Roasted Potatoes: 1.5 lbs fingerling potatoes 1 T. Texas Olive Ranch Olive Oil ½ tsp. finely ground sea salt ¼ tsp. ground pepper Pepper Vinaigrette: 1 Anaheim Pepper, seeded 2 Shishito Peppers, seeded 1 Serrano Pepper, seeded 1 clove garlic, minced ¼ cup cilantro, fresh ¼ cup parsley, fresh 2 T. fresh oregano ¼ cup avocado 2 T. fresh lime juice 2 T. fresh lemon juice or red wine vinegar 2 tomatillos, husks removed, coarsely chopped ½ cup Texas Olive Ranch Olive Oil Salt and pepper, to taste Toasted Cumin Crema: ¼ cup Mexican Crema (or ¼ cup sour cream thinned with 2 T. water) ¾ tsp. ground cumin Garnish: 4 green onions ½ tsp. Texas Olive Ranch Olive Oil ½ cup cherry tomatoes DIRECTIONS:Roasted Fingerlings with Pepper Vinaigrette
recipes from the birdcage. 