It’s beginning to look a lot like…potato salad season. Which, as a mayo hater, can be fraught with peril. Plus, the average potato salad? Potatoes. Eggs. Maybe some pickles. Meh. But there’s something about the nostalgia, the idea of cold potatoes on a hot summer day…in the right context, dressed with the right sauce, it could be refreshing, yet comforting, flavorful, yet familiar, wholly American yet…Greek?
Think about it – what other dressing is white, creamy and capable of tying together a whole dish? Tzatziki sauce. It’s refreshing, easy and most importantly, not mayo. Using that as a base, it only makes sense to mimic some other traditional Greek flavors – olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, dill, bell peppers, artichokes…This is a great option for a ‘non-traditional’ potato salad, and has enough color to make it a beautiful addition to the table (no formless white slop here.) It works as a great stand-alone side, or even as the main event with some accompanying vegetables. You’ll probably get more dressing than you need, but use the rest on salads, sandwiches – or straight off the spoon. I won’t tell.
You’ll need:
Salad
- 1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives
- 8 oz. crumbled feta
- 1 pint grape tomatoes or ½ cup chopped sundried tomatoes
- 3-4 pounds yukon gold, klondike rose or assorted potatoes, diced into large bite-sized pieces
- 2 T olive oil
- 1 T oregano
- 1 T rosemary
- 1 can artichoke hearts, drained
- ½ large red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 yellow or orange bell peppers, chopped
- 1 seedless cucumber, diced
Dressing
- 2 cups plain greek yogurt
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
- 2 lemons, use juice and zest
- 2 cucumbers, seeded, diced and squeezed of juice
- 4 T fresh dill
- Salt and pepper
Get cooking:
Dressing
Combine ingredients in the bottom of a big bowl – whisk together and let sit while you dice other veggies and roast the potatoes. (There are some ranges here, play with what you like. I like more garlic and more lemon, not everyone does.)
Salad
- Roast the potatoes: toss with oil, oregano and rosemary, bake at 425 degrees for 15-10 minutes, until fork tender. Turn a couple, of times to encourage even browning. Remove and let cool.
- Assemble the salad: dice the other veggies while you roast the potatoes. Combine cooled potatoes and veggies in large bowl with the dressing – toss to coat. Chill 30 minutes – 1 hour.
- Garnish with fresh lemon slices and fresh, chopped dill. Serve cold or room temperature.
