Potato and Artichoke Salad with a Parsley and Lemon Vinaigrette

I developed this recipe when I needed a non-mayonnaise based potato salad. Since lemons are one of my favorite things I decided to incorporate them into the dressing. I discovered years ago that if you use big flavors with a lot of acid you can make dishes with a lot less fat that still taste great. I have also made this salad with drained marinated artichokes with sucesss.

Potato and Artichoke Salad with a Parsley and Lemon Vinaigrette
makes 6 large servings

Ingredients:

2 pounds of red new potatoes, skins on
cold water to cover potatoes
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
zest and juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of brined capers or 2 tablespoons of diced olives
¼ cup of fresh parsley, finely mined
1 14 ounce can of artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Clean the potatoes and put them in a large pot with a lid and cover them with cold water. Add the kosher salt, cover the pot and heat it over high heat until the water is boiling, then remove lid. Don’t be tempted to cut the potatoes before cooking them as they retrain more vitamins if cooked whole.

Prepare the vinaigrette will the potatoes are cooking so that it is ready to use when the potatoes are done. The warm potatoes will absorb the dressing much more than cold potatoes.

Boil the potatoes until they are easily pierced with the tip of paring knife. Then remove the potatoes from the water and cut them into bite size pieces. Toss the hot potatoes with the vinaigrette. Add the capers and artichoke hearts to the potatoes and toss to combine. Add the parsley once the potatoes just before serving if eating hot, or after cooling completely if eating cold. This salad is good hot, cold or room temperate.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 196.8
Calories From Fat (21%) - 42.15
Total Fat - 4.79g
Saturated Fat - 0.65g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 628.53mg
Potassium - 1084.05mg
Total Carbohydrates - 35.88g
Fiber - 6.3g
Sugar - 0.31g
Protein - 5.62g

Comments:

I have served this salad to flexitarians and omnivores and it has been universally enjoyed. If you need a potato salad that is good at room temperature this is a nice one to try.