If you say “potato salad” images of a chilled delight complete with mayo and hard-boiled eggs has to appear in your mind. Not grilled potatoes. Not a whole-grain mustard vinaigrette. Not pickled shallots. But, here they all are in this lovely alternative. Well, not quite “all.” No mayo!
You will need recipes for the vinaigrette and the shallots and I’ve included them below. This salad is just the match you want for those weekend burgers or chicken. The recipe will take you about 3hours, end to end, so it is a weekend experience.
Here you can see my review of a wonderful cookbook: The South’s Best Butts.
Grilled Fingerling Potato Salad
Yield: serves 8
Ingredients:
- 6 cups fingerling potatoes (about 3 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons Whole-Grain Mustard Vinaigrette (recipe below)
- 3 tablespoons Pickled Shallots halved lengthwise (recipe opposite)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoons cooked and crumbled bacon (optional)
Preparation:
Preheat the grill to 350° to 400°F (medium-high). Toss the potatoes with the olive oil; sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Place the potatoes, cut sides down, on cooking grate; grill, covered with grill lid, 2 minutes or until grill marks appear.
Remove from grill. Place the potatoes in a single layer in the center of a large piece of heavy- duty aluminum foil. Bring up foil sides over potatoes; double fold top and side edges to seal, 1 making a packet. Grill the potatoes, in foil packet, covered with grill lid, 15 minutes on each side.
Remove packet from grill. Carefully open packet, using tongs. Cool 5 minutes. Toss together m the potatoes, vinaigrette, next 4 ingredients, and the bacon, if desired.
Whole-Grain Mustard Vinaigrette
Yield: ⅔ cup
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup (2 ounces) white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons coarse-grain mustard
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon table salt
- ⅓ cup olive oil
Preparation:
Whisk together the vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, freshly ground black pepper, and salt. Add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until smooth. Makes ⅔ cup.
Pickled Shallots
Yield: 1 ½ cups
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup water
- ¾ cup red wine vinegar
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 ½ cups thinly slice shallots
Preparation:
Bring the water, vinegar, sugar, kosher salt, and red pepper flakes to a boil, whisking until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Pour over the shallots in a sterilized canning jar. Cool to room temperature. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
Source: The South’s Best Butts by Matt Moore [Oxmoor House, 2017]