Lemony new potatoes

Not so fattening - the majority of the dressing falls off!

I was looking for something to go with the Tenderstem Broccoli & Bacon Quiche, when I remembered I had part of a bag of pearl new potatoes left.

Immediately ('cos I love the stuff), I thought "potato salad!".  However, that thought was swiftly dampened by the memory that I was supposed to be watching the fat content of food and perhaps lashings of mayonnaise wasn't quite the thing - even if they were diluted by greek yoghurt.

There then came to mind the many recipes I've seen for a new potato salad that involves lemon zest and juice.  Now these had intrigued me, as I couldn't really imagine how the two would taste together, yet it very definitely appealed.

I didn't have time to consult my recipe book of choice - t'internet  - so had to rely on my memory of the many recipes I'd seen, together with what was available in the fridge at the time.

So, I got the potatoes on to boil (accompanied by a couple of sprigs of mint, because new potatoes without mint just can't be done, right?) and considered the dressing.

Lemon zest was a must, as was lemon juice, so they were easily put into a bowl.  Then I considered what would turn them into a dressing, so on came the Extra Virgin Olive Oil - but not so much that I would feel I might as well have opted for the mayonnaise.

It needed another dimension, so I considered what it was going to be eaten with - and bacon (in the quiche) likes mustard, so in went a teaspoonful of wholegrain mustard.  Next came the ubiquitous seasoning and I paused to taste.  Wow!  Not bad, but missing some savoury elements.  So in went a half a small clove of garlic, grated, and the green part of one spring onion, chopped fine.  Mmmmn .. that tasted good!

So, once the potatoes were cooked, I removed the mint, drained them well and added them to the dressing.  They were tossed liberally in it and allowed to cool until they were just warm.

Do you know, I may just have come up with a contender for the mayonnaise-based potato salad.  It was completely delicious - and just as good when eaten cold the next day!

LEMONY NEW POTATOES (serves 3)

Ingredients :

Enough pearl new potatoes for each person.
a couple of sprigs of fresh mint
sea salt.

For the dressing :
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
half a clove of garlic, grated
half a tsp sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 spring onion, green part only, chopped fine.

Method :


1.  Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the potatoes and mint and simmer until cooked (around 10 minutes).


2.  Drain, remove the mint and add to the dressing :


3.  In a large enough bowl to take the potatoes, add the ingredients for the dressing and whisk lightly to combine.

4.  Add the potatoes and toss liberally in the dressing.

5.  Serve warm.  It is worth leaving the potatoes to steep in the dressing for 5-10 minutes before serving, as they will soak up all the lovely flavours.


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