Sunday, July 13, 2008

Potato Salad with Peas, Onions and Roasted Peppers

Today is my company picnic, and I am making this lovely French style potato salad to bring. This is a departure from the mayonnaise or sour cream based potato salads that you usually see, and I love it.

Roast a red bell pepper. I do it in the oven. Just place it whole under the broiler and turn it occasionally until all the skin looks black. Then take it out, seal it in a plastic bag and let it sit for a good 20 minutes. Then peel it, discard the peel and dice the yummy roasted flesh. You don't have to be persnickety like me and roast it yourself. Alternatively, just buy some roasted red peppers in a jar--they are really easy to find and work well for this salad.



Take one dry quart of little red skin potatoes and chunk them up. Put them in water and cook them until they're tender.



Thaw a cup of frozen peas. Let's reflect on frozen peas, shall we? You simply should not be without them. They are an invaluable ingredient in your kitchen, they are wicked cheap, and they taste nearly as good as fresh picked. Plus, if you have had oral surgery and need an ice pack for your face, a bag of frozen peas is the ideal thing to use.



Take about half a medium purple onion and slice it very thin.

Those are the main ingredients, now the dressing:



Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and whole grain mustard. I don't measure, but in this picture there's about 1/4 cup of olive oil and about a tablespoon of everything else.

Whisk it together. You'll find that the maple syrup and mustard are fabulous emulsifiers, and the dressing stays nicely blended.

While the taties are still warm, toss everything together. I love to eat this at room temperature, but you can chill it and let the flavors meld for a while.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Picnic at the country estate, boy do I miss those days.

I do hope that the usual good time was had by all.

JB said...

Now I am sorry I missed the picnic!

Janine Serresseque said...

It was a great picnic! Our best one yet. Sorry you guys couldn't be there.

Anonymous said...

Can I just tell you that I completely agree about the peas?! Whenever my girlfriends tell me that they're too busy to cook healthy, I immediately ask them how many frozen veggies they're utilizing...
Great blog!!
:)

Janine Serresseque said...

Thanks, Ms. McNasty. I love you right back. I have told lots of people about your blog. I come from a family of teachers, and stories abound.

Joy W. said...

Janiney,

You won't believe what I'm putting the finishing touches on.....
I decided I could make a slipcover for my sofa, and I am doing it!! I'm on the last arm right now.
I tell ya....I couldn't be prouder of myself if I parted the red sea!!