Summer screams for potato salad. It goes with just about any barbeque I can imagine. Grilled meats. Fried chicken. A vegetarian fest.
Along with corn, asparagus, which isn’t in season in the winter, I don’t often make potato salad when its cold out. But as soon as the sun starts to warm up the decks and I turn the barbecue on, my craving for a really good bowl of potato salad kicks in.
There are so many different varieties of potato salad that I often mix up my recipes as often as I make it. There is the old fashion, Southern style I grew up on, which contains hard boiled eggs, celery and a healthy portion of mayonnaise. There is a mustard/mayo blend, which can be good with burgers.
Less traditional, but no less delicious, are the varieties that have a vinaigrette as a base. These can be done with lots of fresh herbs and taste like summer in a bowl. You can serve this kind alongside a salad, grilled corn and a piece of grilled fish and everyone will be very happy, I promise.
I have even made a version that is kind of a mix of a vinaigrette/mayo base. You make it by pouring white balsamic vinegar all over warm potatoes. When they cool down, you mix in green onions and mayonnaise seasoned with salt and pepper. It is best eaten within a day as the dressing can get watered down, but it is straight up delicious. It is one of my all time favorite sides.
With the warm weather we have been enjoying recently, I prepared my first official summer dinner on the deck for Mother’s Day. We tried out the smoking skills of our new Green Egg and cooked a turkey. I boiled my first ears of corn of the season and made a bowl of potato salad.
Since I know my mother loves a potato salad her good friend, Elly, makes with peas in it, I decided to make a similar version to go along with this dinner. I also still had a bag of fresh peas I had shelled and frozen last summer so I knew those would make the dish even better.
While you can make potato salad with any type of potato, I often use the small red ones because they have thin, flavorful skin, and you don’t have to peal them. Start by boiling them (putting them in the pot while the water is still cold) until they are almost soft enough. Finish the cooking process by steaming them in a colander covered with a kitchen towel. They should be soft, but not crumbly.
I cheated with a semi-homemade aioli made by adding fresh lemon juice and roasted garlic to store-bought mayonnaise, but feel free to make your own if you have the time and inclination.
Truth be told, this dish would have been delicious had I cooked the potatoes enough. I though mine were soft enough when I took them out of the pot, but they were too firm and the potato salad wasn’t nearly as delicious as it would have been. So, I need to redeem myself and make it again on my next outdoor occasion.
You can make this the day ahead.
Potato and Pea Salad
Ingredients
- 3 pounds new potatoes
- 1 1/2 cups cooked peas
- 1 small bunch of green onions, sliced thinly
- About 2 cups of the dressing below
For the dressing:
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- Juice of 3 lemons
- 4 cloves roasted garlic
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Whisk all dressing ingredients in a bowl.
- Cook the potatoes until they are soft, but not falling apart.
- Slice them into small cubes.
- Place them in a bowl, and let them get to room temperature.
- Mix in the peas and dress with enough of the dressing to fully blend but not overtake the mixture.
- Top with the green onions.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve, and serve cold or at room temperature.
