Potato Salad for July 4th & Beyond

Colorful Potatoes All Dressed Up with Mustard Vinaigrette & Fresh Herbs

Tasty and tender red, white & blue fingerling potatoes tossed with garden herbs and a flavorful Mustard Vinaigrette. A color-appropriate and standout potato salad for picnics and barbecues this 4^th of July and all through the year. Know that this potato salad recipe tastes great made with Yukon gold and/or red potatoes in place of the red, white and blue fingerlings.

Testing, testing
Pierce with the tip of a knife or poke with the tines of a fork? Most every recipe instructs you to use the tip of a knife to test potatoes for doneness. I used to use a knife. Yet way too often those potatoes ended up being harder than I wanted them. The sharp tip of a knife too easily pierces the potatoes. I’ve switched to testing potatoes with the tines of a fork. When your fork easily slides into the potato, it’s done.

And here’s another time-tested potato-cooking tip: Test each potato. Don’t rely on the “law of three:” if three potatoes are tender then they all will be tender. Doing so risks having partially cooked potatoes in your potato salad. Start with the smaller potatoes and remove them once the fork confirms they are cooked through. Then move up in size. You’ll be as amazed as I often am. Some potatoes just take a little longer than others of a similar size to become tender. The caveat—be careful not to test them too often, or you could end up splitting open your potatoes.

Red, white and blue fingerling potatoes

Can you believe the eye-catching colors of these potatoes? These potatoes are a recent find for me at one of my favorite stores…Costco. Five pounds of gorgeous red, white and blue fingerling potatoes from MountainKing Potatoes. The red potatoes are a deep pink on the inside. The blue/purple potatoes boast the same color within as without. Not only colorful, these fingerlings have the creamiest of textures. Fabulous in potato salad.

Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen
The Environmental Working Group analyzed data on pesticide contamination in fruits and vegetables from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. Of the 48 popular fruits and vegetables in the EWG list,, commercially grown potatoes rank number 9, showing a high level of pesticide residue. A solid member of the Dirty Dozen. Whenever possible, purchase organically grown potatoes. If in doubt, talk directly to the farmer.

So I contacted the MountainKing people to ask about their  potatoes. Here’s an excerpt from their reply. It set me at ease, how about you?

Being that we are the grower, packer, and shipper of MountainKing Potatoes, we take great pride in what we do….

To answer your question, our potatoes are never genetically modified. All of the flavor in all of [our] varieties is natural.  We use standard commercial fertilizers on our potato crop, mostly nitrogen and micronutrients for the soil. We irrigate with water pulled from underground aquifers applied with center pivot irrigation. The crop rotation includes potatoes, small grains, and soil building crops such as Sudan grass that are incorporated into the soil. Because of the high altitude (7,600 feet above sea level) and the cold winters, our fields typically don’t need pesticides. We use standard commercial fungicides to protect the potatoes from blight.

Happy 4^th of July!

Red, White & Blue Potato Salad
w/ Mustard Vinaigrette & Fresh Herbs

Made with tender, tasty, tiny fingerling potatoes for a color-appropriate 4^th of July potato salad. Prepare it throughout the year with other potatoes as well. You may need to increase their cooking time, depending on their size. Vegan and naturally gluten and dairy-free.

Makes 6-8 Servings                                       Printer-friendly recipe.
Active time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

Potatoes
2 pounds red, white & blue fingerling potatoes
1 tablespoon rice vinegar (not seasoned)
¼ teaspoon salt
6 twists freshly ground pepper
¼ cup thinly sliced scallions

Mustard Vinaigrette
½ tablespoon Dijon-style mustard (or your homemade Cultured Mustard)

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt
6 twists freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Fresh Herbs
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons basil chiffonade

Preparation

1. Place the unpeeled potatoes into a pot of generously salted water. Bring the water to a boil. Lower the heat and cook the potatoes 12-16 minutes.
2. Begin testing the smaller potatoes at 12 minutes with a fork. As the potatoes are easily poked with the fork, remove them to a strainer to cool. Continue testing the potatoes until all are cooked through.
3. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into approximately ¾-inch pieces. Place the potatoes into a medium bowl.
4. Gently toss in the rice vinegar, salt, pepper and scallions. Let the potatoes sit for a few minutes while you prepare the dressing.
5. The dressing: Place the mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper into a small bowl. Use a fork to stir them together.
6. Gradually add the olive oil, stirring continually with a fork so the dressing emulsifies.
7. Pour the dressing over the potatoes. Sprinkle with the fresh herbs. Gently toss together.
8. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
9. For the best flavor, serve while still warm or at room temperature.

Printer-friendly recipe.