For us the Fourth of July is about celebrating our nation’s heritage as well as family, friends, parades, fireworks, and of course the annual Fourth of July cookout. Our cookouts vary somewhat from year to year, but we always have some kind of potato salad for the Fourth, and this potato salad recipe is particularly good for summer cookouts because it has no dairy, so you don’t have to worry about it spoiling in the summer heat.
I used to peel potatoes and boil them when making potato salad, but now I steam them and then peel after they have cooled because they retain their nutrients better. They also less likely to get mushy this way.
The flavor comes from the fresh herbs in our garden parsley, basil, and chives, though you can mix it up with other herbs. This year we are growing basil all over the garden, including the tomato bed, herb bed, and in containers on our deck. Basil usually does well for us in containers, we just mix up some potting soil and seed directly into the soil about the third week in May, then we keep it in the sun and water daily. We trim the plants regularly and in a few weeks we’ll be ready to make our first batch of pesto.
Yes, we like our basil.
This summer herbed potato salad is my post for Grow Your Own, the blogging event that celebrates the dishes we create from foods we've grown, raised, foraged, or hunted ourselves. This is the fourth year for Grow Your Own, and we hope you will join us! Gudrun of Kitchen Gadget Girl is our host for July, so be sure to visit her blog for more information about submitting your post. You can read more about the event and the rules for participating at the Grow Your Own page. Posts are due on July 31.
Potato Salad with Summer Herbs and White Wine Vinaigrette
Equipment
- large pot or pan, about 12 inches across
- steamer basket
Ingredients
- 3 pounds small red potatoes (scrubbed)
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 3 tablespoons minced basil
- 2 tablespoons minced parsley
- 2 tablespoons minced chives
Preparation
- Add an inch or two of water to the pan/skillet and insert the steamer basket. Arrange the potatoes around the basket and cover the pot. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are just fork tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and allow the potatoes to cool until you can handle them. Peel the potatoes and cut them into bite-size chunks. Chill or keep at room temperature.
- Whisk the oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper together and drizzle over the potatoes. Toss the basil, parsley, and chives with the potatoes and serve.
Susan @ SGCC says
What a lovely potato salad! It looks so fresh and light. A great twist on a classic summer dish.
Martha says
I love potato salads made with vinaigrette instead of mayonnaise and love the simplicity of this one. For an added flavor boost, you may want to add some of the vinegar to the potatoes while they are still warm. The acid infuses the potatoes with flavor resulting in a brighter tasting potato salad. A squeeze of lemon juice works well too!