Lemon Thyme and Ginger

Anything Goes Lemon Potato Salad

Potatoes in all their varieties and preparations make great comfort food. Unfortunately, they also have a bad rap. This is because potatoes taste sublime with anything buttery, creamy and with lots of cheese. I find it hard to resist creamy potato salad with lots of hard-boiled eggs, so I created a recipe for lemon potato salad with little added fat, but still has a creamy texture.

Anything Goes Lemon Potato Salad is just what the name says. Potato salad with lots of vegetables and lightly coated with a lemon-mustard vinaigrette. To replace the hard-boiled eggs of traditional potato salad, I added tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes and fresh corn. I believe this salad will work with any variety of vegetables, such as scallions, green beans, sugar snap peas, or traditional celery and carrots.

For the dressing, I wanted it to be lemony and bright without it being too sour. So, I tamed the lemon with mustard, olive oil and my secret ingredient, pickle juice. Just a touch of pickle juice from a jar of bread and butter pickles adds the final touch needed for a delicate balance of sweet and sour flavors. If you do not like pickles then omit their juice, but you may need to add a pinch of sugar to the dressing. As I always recommend, taste and season as you like.

Besides my secret ingredient, one other trick I use for potato salad is to add vinegar or lemon juice to the potatoes while they are still hot after cooking. The potatoes absorb the lemon juice and this added squirt of acid brightens them with flavor.

My inspiration for this recipe came from a delicious tomato salad. It is filled with grape tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh uncooked corn, avocado and basil. A perfect end of the summer salad to enjoy when corn and tomatoes are at their peak. Because potatoes and corn make the perfect pair, I decided to make a lemon potato salad version like this sunny tomato salad.

Eating fresh corn just scraped off the cob is a treat. The kernels are nicely sweet and crisp. It is raw, but it does not taste raw.  If you want to add some extra corn flavor, run the back of a knife down the naked cob. This pressure pushes out some corn milk to mix with the fresh kernels. This technique is also great to use when making corn chowder or creamed corn.

Summer is a great time to highlight the fresh flavors of the garden. This is a simple salad to make and is very refreshing.  A meal filled with the summer bounty and enhanced with a lemon vinaigrette. Pair Anything Goes Lemon Potato Salad with any grilled meat, chicken or fish. It is perfect to bring or make for a party, or make for a weeknight family dinner.

More potato recipes:  Potato Salad with Sorrel

Crispy Potato Skins with Smoked Salmon

Rosti

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Anything Goes Lemon Potato Salad

This is a very fresh tasting and bright salad. It is loaded with crisp fresh vegetables to contrast with the soft and creamy potatoes. My secret ingredient is pickle juice which helps round out the tartness of the lemon juice with a slight touch of sweetness. Like most salads this is best served the same day it is made, but it will last and still taste good in a 24-hour period. If you need to make this ahead, prepare the potatoes and the vinaigrette earlier and store in the refrigerator in separate sealed containers. Add the vegetables and vinaigrette before you are ready to serve, or no more than an hour before serving. Add more vinaigrette if necessary. See note.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 31 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Author Ginger

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs 691 g medley of baby potatoes
• Zest from 1 lemon
• Juice from half a lemon
• 1 ear corn on the cob
• Half a cucumber about 6 oz 160 g Quartered, seeds removed, and chopped
• 2 fire and ice radishes sliced thinly
• One handful of grape tomatoes about 4 oz (120 g), sliced in half
• 3 scallions white and light green parts only sliced thin
• 4 sprigs flat leaf parsley
• 2-3 sprigs Lemon Thyme
• 1 TB minced fresh chives optional
• 4-6 leaves fresh basil chiffonade sliced (optional)
• 3-4 leaves fresh mint chiffonade sliced(optional)

Vinaigrette

• Juice from half a lemon about 2 TBS
• 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 TB Bread and Butter pickle juice
• 3 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Instructions

1. Scrub the potatoes under cold running water. Fill a large sauce pan part way with water, cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add a large pinch of Kosher salt to the water, then add the potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are just done. A knife or fork will easily slice all the way through the middle without resistance. This could take anywhere between 10 to 25 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes. I start checking my potatoes after 10 minutes, then check them every 5 minutes thereafter. You do not want to overcook the potatoes or they get mushy.
2. Once done, remove the potatoes from the boiling water and place on a cutting board. Let cool slightly or use tongs to hold each potato in place while you slice each potato in half. This needs to be done before the potatoes cool, because you squeeze lemon juice over them while they are still warm. It does not matter which way you cut the potatoes in half. I mixed it up for fun and variety and sliced them randomly in half lengthwise or crosswise.
3. Place the warm sliced potatoes in a large mixing bowl, add the lemon zest and juice to the bowl and gently mix. Allow the potatoes to cool after the lemon juice is added.
4. While you are waiting for the potatoes to cool, cut the kernels off the corn cob. Cut off the stem of the corn cob to create a flat surface. Place the shucked and cleaned ear of corn in a medium bowl with the flat stem side down in the bowl. Holding onto the tip use a sharp chef's knife and run the knife down the side of the corn cutting the kernels off the cob. Turn the cob a quarter turn and slice off the corn kernels. Repeat all the way around the corn cob until all the kernels are removed. Set aside.
5. Add the corn and the remaining prepared vegetables to the cooled potatoes, then toss in the fresh herbs. Add the vinaigrette, a couple of tablespoons at first. Mix then taste to see if dressing is needed. If so, add more salad dressing until it reaches your preferred consistency. You should have leftover vinaigrette. Store the leftover vinaigrette in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator to use for another salad.
6. Garnish with mint leaves and serve.

Recipe Notes

Potatoes are great sponges and will absorb anything you add to them. If you make this salad too far in advance the potatoes will soak up the dressing and it will appear dry. More dressing might be needed, just be careful not to make it too heavy the vinaigrette and oily.

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