Warm Potato Salad with Lemon and Chive Vinaigrette

 

If there is a recipe that is a contender for the "greatest of the greatest", the most "divine of the divine" and the recipe that everybody begs for when BBQ season comes around, it's this one. I'm guessing we've made it close to a hundred times. To be honest, I've never been a huge fan of potato salads -- they are invariably stodgy and slathered in heaps of gummy mayonnaise. This recipe reinvents what a spud salad can be and in our family is the "taste of summer" over the last eleven or twelve years -- it's not heavy, but bright, zingy and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. The number of times I've been asked for the recipe...I ask you, I should start a blog or something. Enough gushing, here's the scoop...

 

Book: Delia Smith, Delia Smith's Summer Collection: 140 Recipes for Summer (BBC Books, London, 1993)

 

Dates Cooked (include but not limited to):13th May, 2001, 2nd November, 2001, 28 and 29th April, 2003, 22nd June, 2004, 17th July, 2004, 21sy February, 2005, 2nd June, 2005, 16th April, 2006, 1st May, 2006, 25th June, 2006, 4th and 17th May, 2007, 3rd May, 2008, 16th August, 2008, 14th and 27th September, 2008, 9th April, 2009, 15th May, 2009, 9th and 10th April, 2010, 10th October, 2010 and 14th July, 2012.

 

Comments:
"''Lissa made with a balsamic instead of lemon vinaigrette. This is a lovely spud salad...unquestionably one of the nicest we'd ever tasted. Make sure to add some garlic".

"Made again, this time using our usual garlicky salad dressing...they're so similar. Important to wait till spuds are good and boiled -- skins split and innards fluffy. Important for soaking up lovely dressing. Hopefully a summer staple. *****".

"Made for our tenth anniversary bash at Pearson College with John, Alice, Dave, Jenny, Simon, Sara, Dick, Lindsay, Matthew, Winona, and Terrance. Nothing left, as always".

"Ran out of lemons and tried with lime juice. Doesn't really work. Made again the following night...this time with lemon. Divine".

"At Auntie Sarah and Vince's during summer holiday visit to Victoria from UWC-USA. Had with garlic prawns and roasted tomatoes".

"With BBQed sausages at Thetis Lake, BC".

"For super with advisees at UWC-USA".

"Supper at Zelda and Stan's with GJ and Camilla".

For Grandma and Grandpa in NM".

"Made for Matt and Alison's party".

"With gorgeous fingerling spuds from the Farmer's Market".

"At Island View with ratatouille and chicken".

"For fortieth birthday in garden".

"For an "harvest festival" with Naomi and Rick -- all dishes made with veges grown in our gardens".

"Easter at Nina and Larry's".

"In Orillia, Ontario with Joan and Neil".

Ingredients: 2 lb (900 g) new potatoes (as small as possible), skins on, washed
2 sprigs fresh mint
salt
4 tablespoons lemon juice
grated zest 1 lemon
1 clove garlic
1 level teaspoon rock salt
1 heaped teaspoon grain mustard
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
freshly milled black pepper
2 level tablespoons snipped fresh chives
6 spring onions, trimmed and chopped small

First of all place the potatoes in a saucepan with enough boiling water just to cover them, add the mint and some salt, and simmer them for about 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile make the vinaigrette. Using a pestle and mortar, crush the garlic and rock salt together to a paste, then gradually whisk in all the other dressing ingredients.

When the potatoes are cooked, drain them in a colander and transfer them to a serving bowl. Pour on the vinaigrette dressing while they are still hot, toss them around in the dressing to get a good coating, then finally scatter in the chopped chives and spring onions and serve. Serves 4-6