Green goddess potato salad
Although I could argue that green goddess dressing goes well with almost any vegetable, the marriage of potatoes, peas, and eggs in a creamy tarragon laced dressing in this preparation tops my list.
Notes:
Cooking the potatoes.
The best way to cook the potatoes for this recipe is to slice (with the skins on) them before you boil them. They cook up much more quickly, and the skins will not fall off the potatoes like they will if you try to cut them after they are cooked. I prefer a small to medium sized new potato for this recipe. Russets tend to get mushy when cooked and won’t hold up when you are mixing the dressing into the salad. You want to make sure that the potato is entirely cooked through, but just. You don’t want a mushy potato that will crumble apart when you try to mix up your salad.
Ratio of ingredients:
The ratio of potatoes to peas and green beans is entirely up to you. This is the ballpark measurement I use. But feel free to experiment and tweak to your liking.
Hard boiled eggs:
Please note, freshly laid eggs are extremely difficult to peel after being hard boiled. If possible, it’s better to use eggs that are at least 1 to 2 weeks old to ensure easy peeling.
Green goddess potato salad
Ingredients
- 2 pounds small to medium size new potatoes yellow or red
- Four eggs
- 1/2 white onion
- 1 16 oz bag frozen peas
- 1 16 oz bag frozen green beans
- 1/2 cup pickled capers
- 2 teaspoons salt
- About 2 cups Green goddess dressing
- 5 ounce bag arugula about 3-4 cups
- 1 cup chopped mint leaves
Instructions
Prepare salad ingredients:
- Slice the unoeeled potatoes in quarter inch thick rounds.
- Place the sliced potatoes in cold salted water and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are just tender, and watch them closely at the end of cooking to ensure they do not get so soft that they crumble into mush.
- Right before removing the cooked potatoes from the boiling water, add the frozen peas to the hot water and allow to cook for about 30 seconds. This is all the frozen peas need to remain bright green and retain their shape.
- Strain the peas and potatoes into a colander and run under cold water until the potatoes reach room temperature. Place the cooked potatoes and peas in a bowl in the fridge until ready to use.
- Next, blanch the green beans. To do this, set a large pot of salted water to boil (One to 2 tablespoons of salt in the water should do the trick). You want enough water that the green beans can easily be stirred around in the pot. The green beans should be cooked to a point where they are “tender crisp“-where you can bite through the bean without it feeling raw and chewy, but still feel crisp to the bite. Once tender-crisp, immediately strain from the hot water and run under cold water until the beans reach room temperature. Place the beans in the bowl with the chilled peas and potatoes and return to the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Hard boil the eggs. Place the eggs gently in cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Allow the eggs to boil gently for approximately two minutes before turning off the heat. Leave the eggs in the heated water for another eight minutes. Run eggs under cold water and peel off the shells. Slice the eggs in quarter inch thick rounds and add to the chilled salad ingredients.
Preparing the salad:
- Sliced the 1/2 white onion thinly in half rounds and add to the chilled salad ingredients.
- Add the 1/2 cup capers to the chilled salad ingredients.
- Add the green goddess dressing and gently toss to coat. Taste the salad and add salt as needed.
Plate the salad:
- Spread the arugula evenly over the platter.
- Place the prepared salad within the center of the bed of arugula leaving a rim of approximately 1 to 2 inches of arugula visible under the edges of the salad.
- Sprinkle the chopped mint over the potato salad and serve.
