My mom makes a great traditional potato salad. (The secret is using pickle brine in the sauce!) But I’m always on the lookout for exciting new variations.
My dear friend Butter puts purslane in hers, which is crispy and tasty (and an abundant volunteer in my garden later in the summer). Emily shared a watercress and yogurt version when she was on her quest to eat the number 1 super food.
And now, I’m adding a new variation to the list.
I first tried this veggie-laden version last year when it popped up as one of the gorgeous, clickable photos on Smitten Kitchen, and I wasn’t disappointed. I loved the bright mustard vinaigrette and crisp-tender vegetables.
But this year, I was inspired to do something new to it: grill it. The fine people at Sprouts Farmers Market invited me to participate in their Grilling Month by adding an idea for a recipe to the conversation, and as soon as I had this one, I knew it would be a winner.
If only the weather would cooperate…
It’s been raining (or I’ve been traveling) every weekend in May. But Sunday afternoon was looking OK. It was too early for dinner, so after prepping the potatoes and veg, I hopped on my bike to return a movie to the library.
But on the way back… Those dark clouds over the lake, over the Flatirons did not bode well. I came shushing into the garage, and yelled for Brandon to start the grill as soon as I was in the door.
Serendipitously, the first raindrops started to fall just as I was finishing up the last of the veg. It poured as we sat down to our yummy dinner of grilled chicken thighs and grilled spring potato salad.
The s’mores we’d promised to Devyn had to be toasted over the gas burners of our stove. (They did not suffer for it!)
I’d tried grilling potatoes before, and I love the crisp exterior and fluffy middle it imparts. Plus, grilled asparagus is just amazing. So I postulated that grilling the ingredients for this salad might be a good choice.
And I was right.
Grilling adds a whole new dimension to this salad, which is lower in carbs than traditional potato-only salads because of the addition of all these tasty veg. I’d never grilled radishes before, but that, too, turned out to be a very good idea.
Inspired by this Smitten Kitchen recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds small new or fingerling potatoes
- 1 pound asparagus
- 1/4 pound sugar snap peas, green beans or other spring pea
- 4 small-to-medium radishes
- 1/4–1/2 cup mayonnaise (homemade is best)
- 3 spring onions (about 6 ounces)
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt (I use Diamond brand; use less if you’re using Morton or table salt)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 2 teaspoons smooth Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Quarter or slice the potatoes and place them in boiling water for 5–10 minutes until par-cooked, but definitely not totally cooked. Drain and put in a bowl.
- Meanwhile, slice the onions thinly. Mix up the brine in a small jar and submerge the onions. Allow to rest for at least an hour, or up to overnight.
- Quarter or halve radishes (depending on size) and add to the bowl. Add snap peas (whole) to the bowl. Dress with most of the mayonnaise. Brush 1–2 tablespoons of mayonnaise onto the asparagus, whole.
- Heat your grill to high. Make a large "tray" out of foil for the snap peas and radishes if they're small. Grill potatoes and asparagus directly on the grill until tender with nice char marks. Allow to cool until easy to handle.
- Chop the asparagus and peas if you choose into bite-sized pieces. Put all the vegetables into a bowl and dress with drained pickled onions and mustard vinaigrette. Serve with any kind of grilled meat.
Promotional consideration for this post provided by Sprouts Farmers Market in honor of their Grilling Month.
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