I am loving the warmer weather that comes with spring. I no longer want to bunker down behind closed doors, rugged up with the heater on. Right now I have the doors open and can hear the birds chirping and there are blooms of red and pink emerging in the garden. This time of year holds the promise of lazy summer days to come, fun at the beach and good times with family and friends. This time of year beckons us to move our cooking and eating outdoors.
We love our barbeques, especially from the Weber kettle, although that is G’s specialty. The kettle is fired up on weekends when we have more time to wait for the coals to ash over. For a quick mid-week dinner we turn to our gas barbeque. Of course, where there is a barbeque there are sure to be salads. When we have guests I like to offer a selection, but other times I prefer to keep it simple.
I have been making this potato and green bean salad quite a bit lately. Hot potatoes are tossed in a simple vinaigrette and left to soak in the flavours as they cool. Barely cooked beans and parsley provide a fresh hit of green. I guess the mayonnaise-laden potato salad will always have its place, but I’m sure you will find this salad an equally satisfying and much lighter alternative.
Oh, just one more thing. I have heard that green beans used to be on the list of foods that should be avoided for people with fructose malabsorption and on on a low FODMAP diet. However, current research from Monash University has green beans listed as a “safe” low FODMAP food.
Potato and green bean salad with caper vinaigrette
A sherry vinegar would make a nice alternative to the white wine vinegar, and you could play around with different types of mustards too.
Serves 6
- 1kg chat potatoes
- 50g green beans
- 1 cup flat leaf parsley leaves
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- pinch salt
- 4 tablespoons (80ml) olive oil
- 1 tablespoon capers, chopped
Start by making the vinaigrette. Stir together the vinegar, mustard and salt. Whisk in the olive oil then stir in the capers.
Cut potatoes into bite-sized pieces, the small ones in half, some into thirds, and the big ones into quarters. Place in a saucepan and cover with water. Add a generous pinch of salt and bring to the boil; cook for approximately 10 minutes until tender. Drain well and transfer to a large bowl. Gently toss the hot potatoes with half of the vinaigrette, taking care not to break up the potato pieces. Allow to cool to just warm or room temperature.
Trim the stalks from the beans and cut into bite-sized pieces. Prepare a bowl of cold water and ice cubes. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Add the beans and cook for 1 minute until they turn bright green. Drain the beans and put into the bowl of iced water to stop them from cooking further. When cool drain well.
If your parsley leaves are on the large side, tear into smaller pieces, but do not chop. Toss in the bowl with the potatoes, beans and remaining vinaigrette. Transfer to a serving dish.
