Potato-Vegetable Salad with Pea Shoots and Champagne Vinaigrette

Here is the recipe for the potato vegetable salad that I prepared for the Diner en Blanc the other day. As far as I am concerned it’s a full meal deal but also makes a nice substantial salad to serve alongside other foods. Make it with small new potatoes cut in half or quartered and add corn, green peas, green beans, radishes, green onion, shredded radicchio and whatever else strike your fancy. I like adding green leafy element and this time used pea shoots, added at the last moment so they don’t lose their colour to the acid in the vinaigrette.

Any good vinaigrette would do and this time I made a vinaigrette with champagne vinegar. You can use sherry vinegar, red or white wine vinegar and they will all work fine.

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Ingredients:

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2 lb baby potatoes

2 cups shredded radicchio

2 cups green beans, halved

1 cup shelled peas

1 cup cooked corn kernels off the cob

2 pickles, diced small

A handful pea shoots

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

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Directions:

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Place potatoes in the steamer basket over water and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a steady low boil and continue to steam until the potatoes are cooked through and a knife inserted through the centre goes through like a knife through butter.

Remove the potatoes from the pot and place in a dish where they can cool. When they are cool enough to handle peel the skin off and discard. Halve the potatoes and place in a bowl. Pour half the vinaigrette over the potatoes while they are still warm and toss gently.

Add more water to the same steamer pot and place the green beans in the steamer basket. Bring to a boil and cook until just done and bright green. You can rinse the beans under cold water to stop the cooking and preserve the bright green colour. Once cooled, add to the potatoes (see note below).

Add the shredded radicchio, shelled peas (raw), corn and pickles and toss gently to combine.

Add more vinaigrette as necessary and season with additional salt.

Add chopped parsley and mix gently.

Add the pea shoots and mix them in here and there.

Serve at room temperature.

Note: if you are not serving the salad immediately don’t add the green vegetables to the salad. Wait until just before serving to mix them in because the acid in the vinaigrette will discolour them. What I sometimes do is place plastic wrap over the potatoes and place the green vegetables over the plastic. This way they are all in the same dish already and just before serving I toss them all together.

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Vinaigrette:

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1 small shallot, minced

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt

2 tablespoon champagne (or sherry) vinegar

6 tablespoon olive oil

Place shallot mustard, salt and vinegar in a small bowl or jar and stirr well with a fork or a whisk.

Add olive oil a little at a time whisking constantly until dressing thickens, or if you use a jar screw the lid back on and shake vigorously until dressing ingredients combine.

Use as directed.

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