Potato Salad with Fresh Dill, Lemon and Dijon

Potatoes are the most popular vegetable consumed in America. Unfortunately they are normally served in the form of french fries. Potatoes can be a healthy food. They are a good source of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant. Potatoes are also a good source of fiber, which most American’s need to incorporate in their diet. They also contain compounds that have blood pressure lowering potential and neutralize cancer causing agents.

I cook my potatoes in the skin to preserve the maximum amount of nutrients. I also retain the skin in most recipes so that those vitamins are consumed rather than thrown away.

I buy organic potatoes whenever possible because potatoes are one of those foods that is highly sprayed with pesticides and whose soil is also treated with fungicides. I have read (although I can’t remember where) that the chemicals that are used on potato fields are so toxic, that the farmers stay out of the fields for days after the chemicals are applied.

This potato salad does included mayonnaise, which is not a particularly healthy condiment. However, the amount of mayonnaise is much less than you would find on the normal potato salad. I only use enough mayonnaise to moisten the potatoes.


Potato Salad with Fresh Dill, Lemon and Dijon
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

2 pounds of red potatoes
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
1 lemon, zest and juice
4 stalks of celery, finely diced
4 tablespoons of red onion, finely diced that was soaked in white vinegar for at least 30 minutes (drain onion of vinegar before adding)
5 - 6 tablespoons of vegan mayonnaise
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
¼ cup of fresh dill, finely minced
½ teaspoon of kosher salt
½ teaspoon of black pepper, freshly ground

Directions:

Scrub potatoes, put do no peel. Place potatoes in a heavy bottomed pot and cover with cold water. Add kosher salt to the cooking water and turn the heat to high. After 15 minutes pierce a potato with a thin knife blade to see if they are tender. If tender, drain the potatoes and return the potatoes to the still hot pot so that the maximum amount of cooking liquid will evaporate from the potatoes. If not tender, continue to cook for another 5 minutes and check again for tenderness. The exact cooking time of the potatoes will depend on the size of the potatoes you are using.

Meanwhile, zest and juice a lemon. Place zest in the bowl the dressing will be mixed in.

When the potatoes have cooled in the pot for 15 minutes, cut into bite size pieces and move to a cool container. Add the lemon juice to the still warm potatoes so that it will absorb the juice which will happen in 5 or 10 minutes.

Thoroughly combine the mayonnaise, mustard, dill, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Toss the red onion and celery into the mayonnaise and stir to combine.

Add the dressing to the room temperature potatoes and stir to evenly coat the potatoes with the dressing. Taste to see if any additional salt and pepper are required.

Refrigerate until ready to serve. The flavor will improve as the salad sits in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 249.28
Calories From Fat (45%)- 113.21

Total Fat - 12.82g
Saturated Fat - 0.97g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 299.37mg
Potassium - 994.73mg
Total Carbohydrates - 31.47g
Fiber - 3.6g
Sugar - 1.09g
Protein - 4.2g

Comments:

I like the flavor of this potato salad. It is a little acidic from the lemon juice, but not overly so. There is also a little tang from the dijon, although if you don't know it is in there you won't know exactly what you are tasting. The beautiful pink from the vinegar soaked red onions is lovely, as well as adding little acidic pops of flavor. This potato salad is not drenched in mayonnaise, but the salad is still moist without the unnecessary fat.