Potato Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Potato Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
This is a lovely way to celebrate new, red potatoes readily available in the spring. Perfect for a picnic, cookout or party - you'll love the lively, light flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 large lemon
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 sprig fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- 2 pounds new red potatoes or new Yukon Gold
- 1 medium shallot or small red onion
Instructions
Make the vinaigrette
- Use a Microplane or peeler and zest the lemon. Set the zest aside
- Grab the sprigs of thyme. This is lemon thyme (pretty, right?) - which I love, but regular thyme is also lovely. If you don't have fresh, dried works beautifully
- Combine the juice of the lemon, red wine vinegar, thyme, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small jar
- Shake like crazy to emulsify and set aside
Make the Potatoes
- Finely dice the shallot
- Wash and drain the potatoes. I love to use the tiny red, new potatoes I find at the farmer's market. If you can't find them, cut the potatoes into 1/4" pieces
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a tablespoon of salt
- Add the potatoes to the boiling water and cook until just tender - between 6 and 10 minutes, depending on their sizes
- Test the potatoes with a fork to see how they are doing. I start testing after about 5 minutes
- Drain the potatoes and let them cool for about 10 minutes. You want them to still be warm, but not piping hot
- Add the diced shallots and a pinch of the lemon zest to the warm potatoes
- Add a couple of tablespoons of the vinaigrette to the warm potatoes - I usually start with a small amount and add to taste
- Refrigerate the potato salad for 1-2 hours until nice and cold. Does anyone else use a plate instead of plastic wrap? I'm channeling my mother on this one!
- Stir up the potato salad, add more dressing if needed and serve
- It's light, full of flavor and the perfect accompaniment to all your summer favorites
