New Potatoes and Green and Yellow Beans Salad with Creme Fraiche

This summer I have been making many different potato salads and they have been quite popular here at home. Different than the traditional salads these are a melange of new potatoes and a variety of vegetables I happen to have in my fridge at the time. I toss them together with a dressing, add a couple of hard boiled eggs (or not) and voila, a lovely summer potato salad. I made this salad today with leftover steamed new potatoes form last night’s dinner. I also had tender green and yellow beans from the farmers market so I steamed them briefly and combined them with the potatoes and with creme fraiche that I always keep in a jar in the fridge. Oh, yes, I also added  a couple of small cucumbers, green onion and a handful of chopped flat leaf parsley for colour and added texture. Sprinkled on top are the cute little micro-green I get at the farmers market by the flat and keep on my kitchen counter until the next market trip. It was mildly flavoured, slightly tangy and very lovely and creamy potato salad. Enjoy.

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Ingredients:

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8-10 new potatoes, steamed and cooled

4 oz green beans (what’s with the ounces, a handful, really)

4 oz yellow bean (same as above)

2 green onion, white and green parts, chopped

1-2 small field cucumbers, halved and sliced

1 cup creme fraiche or 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup whipping cream, combined

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

A squeeze of lemon juice form 1/2 a lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

3 hard boiled eggs, chopped

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Directions:

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Place the potaoes in a steamer basket over boiling water and steam until tender and cooked through. Remove from heat and let cool, refrigerating until the potatoes are cold. The potatoes can be cooked a day ahead or use leftover cooked potatoes. When ready to proceed peel the potatoes and cut into chunks. Place in a large bowl.

Trim the green and yellow beans, cut them in half through the middle. Bring a pot of water to a boil, drop both green and yellow beans into the boiling water and cook until beans are crisp-tender. Be careful not to over cook and make them mushy.

When the beans are cooked remove them with a slotted spoon and drop them immediately into a bowl filled with ice water to stop the cooking and speed up the cooling.

When the beans are cold add them to the potatoes.

Add the chopped green onion and cucumbers.

Add the Dijon mustard to the creme fraiche as well as the lemon juice.

Add creme fraiche to the potatoes and mix to combine.

Add salt and pepper to taste as well as the parsley.

Mix everything together then gently add the hard boiled eggs, chopped, reserving some chopped eggs to garnish the top of the salad.

Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve later.

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To make your own creme fraiche:

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2 cups whipping cream

1/3 cup sour cream or buttermilk

Place cream and sour cream or buttermilk in a glass jar and mix to combine.

Cover the jar with plastic and poke a few holes in to allow air to circulate.

Leave on the counter for 24-36  hours until it develops a creamy texture.

Cover with lid and keep refrigerated. It keep for a couple of weeks.

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