Recipes · Salads
Pesto Potato Salad
- Serves
- 10
- Meal
- Salads
- Issue
- May 2018
Ingredients
- 5 lb. russet potatoes
- 1 Tbs. olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup sweet pea pesto (recipe follows)
- 2 cups (60 g) baby spinach
- 2 cups (60 g) arugula
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 1 cup fresh, local sweet peas (toasted if frozen)
For the sweet pea pesto:
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 cups (60 g) basil
- 1 cup (30 g) mint
- 1 cup sweet peas
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Zest and juice of one lemon
- 1 cup vegan mayonnaise (Just Mayo brand preferred)
Method
Pulse the garlic in a food processor. Add all of the other ingredients, except for the mayo, and process until the mixture has a consistency that’s mostly smooth with slight chunks. Add the mayo and process just until combined.
To make the salad:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Dice the potatoes; place them in a large mixing bowl; and toss with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread out on baking sheets. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until they are brown and fork-tender. Let cool completely.
Once the potatoes are cool, place them in a large mixing bowl, and add one cup of pesto to start—you may need to add more, depending on how creamy you like your salad—and mix. Add the remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Serve at room temperature.
The potato salad can be made the day before, but be sure to bring to room temperature before serving. Sealed and stored in the refrigerator, it will keep for up to three days.
From “A Refreshing Riff on Potato Salad.”
Notes & tips
Pass the pesto: “Leftover pesto goes with everything,” Gilchrist says. “You can scramble it with eggs, use it on bread, or add it to any hot or cold pasta. I like to mix it with tahini and spread it on toast.”
Easy-peasy picnic: Gilchrist advises making the potato salad the night before, but leaving out the spinach and arugula. “The day of, add the greens and a little more pesto to freshen it up, then toss,” she notes.
Mayo your way: While Gilchrist uses egg-free mayonnaise, for those craving a more traditional taste, she suggests Ken’s Extra Heavy Mayo. “It may be blasphemy to not pick Duke’s in the South, but it’s my absolute favorite!” she says.
