Farmer's market potato salad

Everyone loves a great potato salad: potatoes tossed with a mayo based dressing mixed with celery, onion, and even apple. Great for gatherings, picnics, barbecues, this side dish is simple to make. Today I'm doing a twist on the classic potato salad and making it fresher and lighter, that means no mayo! Now you can enjoy this side dish without the heavy feeling that comes along with it.

Farmer's market potato salad

Recipe from Cooking Light

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)

2 lbs fingerling potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 1/2 tbsp olive oil, divided

2 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon

2 tbsp cider vinegar

2 tbsp whole-grain Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

cooking spray

3/4 cup vertically sliced red onion

3/4 cup diced zucchini

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Place corn and potatoes on a jelly-roll pan. Drizzle vegetables with 1 tbsp oil; toss to coat. Bake at 425 degrees F for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Place mixture in a large bowl. Combine tarragon and next 5 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring constantly with a whisk. Drizzle potatoes mixture with dressing; toss gently to coat.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and zucchini to pan; cook 4 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add zucchini mixture and tomatoes to potato mixture, toss gently to combine. 

Nutritional Analysis:
per serving (1 cup): 198 calories, 6.6g fat (0.9g saturated, 0.7g polyunsaturated, 4.1g monounsaturated), 32.7g carbohydrates, 3.8g fiber, 4.5g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

One difference between this potato salad and the classic one other than the dressing is the way the potato is prepared. Usually the potatoes are cut into large pieces and boiled in salted water until tender. This method is more common, but it can also easily lead to overcooked potatoes that can become mushy, losing its form. By roasting the potatoes, you can more easily monitor when it is done cooking. When the potatoes are ready, you should be able to easily pierce the flesh with a fork. 

I did make several changes to this recipe. Although fingerling potatoes would have been great for presentation, especially the colored potatoes, I used Idaho potatoes. I also substituted tarragon with parsley, which is not equivalent in flavor, but I went with it anyway. I also wanted everything fresh so I did not saute the red onions. The zucchini was omitted and sliced celery was added instead. I also did sliced tomatoes wedges instead of cherry tomatoes. The dressing was the one thing I followed exactly the same.

This potato salad certainly delivered in flavor and freshness! It was everything I wanted it to be. Fresh, tangy, sweet, and a little spicy. I loved the fact that it was so colorful and you can see the grains of the mustard. I usually end up with leftovers whenever I make a large quantity of a side dish especially if it's a salad, but there was practically no leftovers today! People loved this dish and there's no surprise why.