the pollen count

Here’s my new favorite potato salad recipe. It is extremely easy, versatile and a big hit at potlucks. You can use all kinds of greens for the pesto; my current favorite has arugula, mint and cilantro. The arugula gives it a kick and it comes out a beautiful bright green that does NOT turn dark like the pesto made from basil when stored in the fridge. Bonus!

The capers also add a tart surprise that really goes great with the potatoes. I read somewhere that you can sauté capers until they get really crisp and use them as a garnish but I haven’t tried that yet. Next version…

I have made it with Yukon gold potatoes and also with a mix of red, white and blue potatoes. Since it is July 4th weekend the red, white and blue version would be very patriotic!

INGREDIENTS: (serves 4 – 6 as a side dish)

• 6 – 8 medium large Yukon gold potatoes or a variety of red, white and blue potatoes
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 stalk celery, chopped (optional)
• 1/3 cup capers (save some for the garnish)
• Salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut into cubes, but do not peel the potatoes.
2. Add to a pot filled with 1 quart water and bring to a boil. Simmer until potatoes are tender but not mushy, drain the water and place potatoes, onions and capers in a bowl while you make the pesto. Season with salt and pepper.

For the PESTO: (makes about 1 1/2 cups pesto)

• 4 cups greens (arugula, cilantro, mint) – my ratio was 3 cups arugula, ½ cup each of mint and cilantro
• 3 or 4 cloves of garlic (more if you love garlic, less if you don’t)
• Juice of ½ large lemon
• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ cup raw cashews (you can also use walnuts, pine nuts or pecans or a mixture of nuts but cashews are my personal favorite)
• ¼ – ½ cup grated parmesan cheese or:
  make vegan parmesan cheese with ½ cup raw cashews, 2 TBSP nutritional yeast, & ¼ tsp garlic salt, then pulse together in food processor… really a great substitute for parmesan!

DIRECTIONS for PESTO:

1. Wash greens and chop a bit, then add to food processor.
2. Add peeled garlic cloves, olive oil, lemon juice and parmesan or vegan parmesan cheese.
3. Pulse until well blended. Taste and adjust seasonings and/or add more olive oil to get to your desired consistency.
4. Add as much of the pesto to the potato mixture as you want. Gently fold together and serve with a garnish of arugula or nasturtium leaves and top with a few capers.

NOTE: You can serve this either warm or cold. I love it both ways and if you are lucky enough to have any leftover pesto it is great on just about anything 🙂