Beautiful days are upon us, with the promise of outdoor lunches, picnics and lazy times
Which brings us to a tasty and fuss-free potato salad I made recently and garnered some interest. With a dairy-free and egg-free but mayo-like, rich and avocado-y dressing, the salad is great for the food-sensitive, Meatless Monday conscious, vegan, vegetarian, healthy or gourmand eaters alike.
For this salad, I used creamer potatoes which are essentially baby potatoes. They are available year round, and are low in starch, so they work well for a salad. Red bliss potatoes could also work, if that is what you prefer. To make 8 generous or 10 smaller servings, I used about 2.5 lb potatoes. I like to leave the skin on (well cleaned and rubbed), and cut them in 4 to 8 pieces depending on the size.
Then the next step is to cook the pieces. I have both boiled and steamed the potatoes when making this salad, and the results will differ slightly: with steaming, the pieces tend to stay firmer, while with boiling they may mash out a bit. If you decide to boil the potatoes, make sure to give them an ice bath to stop the cooking.
The dressing is actually very easy, you just need a good blender. The following go into the blender container: 1/2 pack (4 oz) silken tofu, 1 medium avocado (Haas works as does Bacon), plus about 1/2 juice from the pack, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp maple syrup or 2 tbsp apple cider, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, the juice of a small lemon, 2 tbsp olive oil, salt, pepper. If you want a slightly stronger flavor and, mostly, like scallions, you can throw in the green parts of two of them.
Blend on high until creamy. Chop a bunch of fresh dill and add it to the dressing, stirring until well mixed.
Once the potatoes are cool, pour the dressing over them and mix until all the potatoes are coated. You can then adjust the salt and pepper level, and garnish with some dill sprigs for prettiness. The salad, can be eaten right away, but as with all things, it tastes even better when it has sat in the refrigerator for a few hours. It is worth it...
By the way:
- The dressing is great by itself as a dip for crudités.
- You can dial up or down the acidity and sweetness to your taste.
- To add to this salad, you can dice some cornichons (french gerkins), finely sliced scallions, and/or finely diced shallots. You could also replace the dill with tarragon.
- This salad will work well with poached salmon and other types of fish, if you are so inclined. Check with the sustainable fishing stall at your local Farmers Market for options.
- I used organic non-GMO ingredients when making this salad.
- This salad will be low-FODMAP and naturally gluten-free.