Potato Salad with Pesto
A twist on the traditional potato egg salad, this one has pesto and peas and is fantastic. Very simple, it's always a hit in my house and when I take it to barbecues and potlucks.
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 3 pounds potatoes I use new or baby potatoes
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
- 1 cup thinly sliced spinach or arugula leaves
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the homemade pesto:
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves packed
- ½ cup fresh parsley leaves packed
- ⅓ cup walnuts
- ¼ cup chopped shallot
- ½ cup 2 oz asiago or parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 cup olive oil
Instructions
For the potato salad:
- In a saucepan, cook 3 pounds of unpeeled potatoes in abundant salted water until tender but not too soft. Drain, peel as soon as you can, as they will absorb flavors better if hot, and put in a large salad bowl. If using small potatoes, you can leave the skin on.
- Add 1 tablespoon vinegar and black pepper to taste, and toss lightly. Let cool to room temperature before adding anything else.
- In boiling water, cook 1 cup of peas for 1 minute if frozen and 2 minutes if fresh, and drain. Put in the bowl with the potatoes.
- Add ½ cup pesto, 1 cup thinly sliced spinach or arugula, and stir to mix. Please feel free to add more pesto as you see fit. You might only use some of it.
- Season the salad with salt and pepper. It's important to taste the salad at this point to check if it needs more seasoning or any other ingredient.
For the basil pesto:
- In a food processor or with an immersion blender, mix 1 cup fresh basil, ½ cup fresh parsley, ⅓ cup walnuts, ¼ cup chopped shallot, ½ cup grated cheese, salt and black pepper to taste, and ½ cup olive oil.
- Gradually add the rest of the ½ cup olive oil and check for salt and pepper a few times.
- If you don't use all the pesto in the salad, store it covered in the refrigerator to maintain its freshness.
Notes
Salted water: make sure the cooking water is well salted as it makes a difference in the finished salad. It works better than adding extra afterwords.
Make ahead: the pesto keeps for a week in the refrigerator. Use an airtight jar and cover it with a thin layer of olive oil before closing to prevent oxidization (turning brownish). Keep the baked potatoes in the fridge in an airtight container or covered bowl for up to 2 days. Let them cool down first.
Storing leftovers: cover the bowl with plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container. They keep for 3 days. I don't recommend freezing potato salad.
