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String Bean Potato Salad! |
Gather:
- about a pound of fresh string beans, ends removed
- They're in season now in the Northeast! SO much better than frozen!
- about a pound of potatoes
- New potatoes are in season right now
- I like red potatoes for their color in this summer dish and they have a great texture
- I still had blue potatoes left from last fall's harvest that needed to be eaten!
- Tip: Yukon gold are also great salad potatoes. They keep their shape better than softer potatoes like russets, which can get mealy in salads.
- 1/2 a red onion, finely chopped
- picked this up from the farmers market, too!
- 1 -2 cloves of garlic, minced
- ?: do you know where your garlic comes from? I've been buying pre-peeled garlic for years and recently realized it could be from ANYWHERE! Then I saw some at the farmers market! Maybe next year, I'll try growing some of my own. Gotta shorten that distance From Seed to Stomach after all!!
- 1 small cucumber, skin on, shredded
- GRANDMA'S SECRET!
- Cucumbers are mostly water, and shredding one in to a salad adds a ton of moisture and fresh flavor, allowing you to cut back on the oil and salt!
- Tip: Just use a cheese grater to shred the cucumber.
- Handful of fresh herbs, finely chopped
- You can use practically anything you have on hand, but I chose:
- Parsley, Basil, Rosemary, and Chives
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper and a sprinkle of Kosher Salt to taste
- Scrub the potatoes. Leave the skins on for added color, texture, and nutrition, so make sure you clean them well.
- Tip: Rinse them under cold running water then soak them for a few minutes in a cold water bath with a tablespoon of baking soda before scrubbing with a vegetable brush.
- Did you know that most potatoes are covered in chemicals (pesticides and fertilizers) because it's hard to get that stuff out of the soil they grow in, even if a farmer shifts from traditional to organic methods? Look for them at the farmers market where you can ask the farmer how they're grown.
- Cut the potatoes into 1/2 - 1 inch cubes and put them in a pot of water on the stove. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook until fork tender. Drain and let cool.
- Tip: If you have a pressure cooker, this is a great time to use it! You can cook those potatoes in less than 8 minutes. Just reference the directions that came with your cooker.
- While the potatoes are boiling, steam the string beans, but just until they're cooked. You want them to still crunch and snap a bit. Mushy string beans don't have as much flavor or nutritional value.
- Tip: Use a stove-top veggie steamer basket. Cover, but go in there every so often to mix up the beans with a pair of tongs, rotating the top ones with the bottom ones so they cook evenly.
- Tip: When they're perfectly cooked but still crunchy, throw them in a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking and keep their color bright.
- Combine the potatoes and string beans in a large bowl with the shredded cucumber.
- Drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil to lightly coat the potatoes and string beans.
- Add the fresh herbs and the salt and pepper to taste.
- DIG IN!
This how-to should yield just enough salad to bring to your next BBQ or pot luck or just enough for dinner and leftovers for a couple days. It keeps well in the fridge for 2-3 days and makes a great lunch on hot days!
Enjoy!
Full Disclosure: I volunteer for the Union Square Farmers Market by helping with their social media strategy and tactics.
This post was shared on:
Kelly the Kitchen Kop's Real Food Wednesday
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