This is one of my favourite dishes to make and bring to a pot luck BBQ or party. It is easy to prepare ahead of time, suitable for a broad range of diets, and pairs well with all kinds of foods from lentil burgers to hot dogs to planked salmon. It is a dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan potato salad, but you’d never notice any of those things were missing because this recipe packs the flavour in each and every bite. This is one of the potato salad recipes my mother would always make for special parties, especially Bastille Day. Her other recipe is equally mayonnaise-free and delicious.
Julie’s Dijon Vegan Potato Salad
1 to 2 pounds small red or new potatoes, halved (if using larger potatoes, cut into quarters)
1/2 cup virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon minced roasted garlic
1 small red onion, very thinly sliced (or 1/4 cup of shallots or scallions work as a substitute)
1 pound green beans (frozen or fresh)
3 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved Chives, chopped
1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together 1/4-cup olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon, and chives. Once mixed thoroughly, stir in the tomatoes. Set aside in a cool place.
2. In a pan over medium to medium-high heat, cook the potatoes in nearly all of the remaining olive oil until lightly browned, stirring often. Stir in the onions and continue the frequent stirring as they cook together. Once the potatoes and onions are completely cooked, transfer to heat-safe colander to let cool slightly before stirring into the sauce mixture.
3. In the same pan, add the last bit of olive oil and warm on low to medium heat. Add the garlic and let cook for less than one minute then add the green beans and stir to coat the beans with the oil and garlic. Stirring frequently, let cook until beans are cooked but still firm. Once this is achieved, set aside for a moment.
4. Add the potatoes and onions to the sauce mixture and stir to coat then do the same to the green beans. Can be served hot (if so skip any cooling or setting aside steps and use a Pyrex or heat-safe serving dish) or cold (cover and refrigerate for two to eight hours prior to serving).
You could even add chicken!
(photo by m anima)