Baby potato salad with watercress and radishes

Okay, it's official, Spring is here. This is a beautiful salad for a garden lunch and is prefect for this time of the year. It's still hearty, but has a lovely Summer freshness and crisp.

I love potato salad and love trying new and different ingredients in them... It all started when I visited Dublin and went to Cornucopia, this gorgeous little vegetarian cafe that serves good 'honest' food. You could immediately tell by the ques of vastly diverse people waiting to be seated every lunch time that there was something special about their food. I didn't quite get that term 'honest food' until I visited Cornucopia... One of their acclaimed dishes from their daily buffet menu is their potato salad with hazelnuts and home made garlic mayonnaise. Amazing! A serious surprise to me and it's taken me down the slippery slope of adding nuts and seeds to most things...be it an open sandwich or a simple green salad. 

 

So apart from Cornucopia's salad, next on my list of amazing potato salads is this one. A simple vinaigrette of red wine vinegar, whole grain mustard and good quality olive oil drizzled over warm potatoes. Oh and garlic, did I forget the garlic? ...I used the pink skinned potatoes for something a little different and added some radishes for a fresh crunch.

 

 

Ingredients:

(makes 4-5 portions)

 

16 baby potatoes

5 radishes

a bunch of watercress

1 punnet of sugar snap peas

a handful of frozen peas (optional)

salt and black pepper, to taste

a handful of fresh basil leaves

 

Dressing:

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

6 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp whole grain mustard

1 garlic clove, finely chopped 

salt and black pepper

 

Method:

 

Firstly, half fill a pot with water and wash the potatoes.

Add a pinch of salt to the water and put the potatoes in the pot. Bring them to the boil.

Make the vinaigrette by adding all the ingredients into an empty jam jar or bottle and give it a good shake.

When the potatoes are soft drain them and cut them in half. Drizzle the dressing over them while they are still hot. They'll absorb the delicious flavours.

Allow them to cool. Blanch the peas by pouring boiling water over them and allowing them to stand for 5 minutes or so. Drain them.

Toss all the other ingredients together and garnish the salad with freshly torn basil leaves.

 

Enjoy!