Every Day with Rachael Ray: Balsamic Potato and Green Bean Salad
Balsamic Potato and Green Bean Salad would be the perfect addition to any summer potluck. Since there’s no mayo and it can be served warm or at room temperature, you don’t have to worry about bringing this to an outdoor event. This recipe is from the June-July issue of Rachael Ray’s magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray.
The flavors are great in this salad, especially if you are a mayo-hater like me. The balsamic complements both the green beans and the potatoes, with the thyme really brightening it all up. I highly recommend this recipe, subject to one change.
Now, those of you who have confidence while cooking and therefore feel free to exercise your own independent judgment probably would have cut the potatoes into smaller pieces even though the recipe didn’t say to. Next time, I will either hunt for the very smallest potatoes or quarter them up, since they were just too big to really be like a potato salad. But other than that, this recipe was a hit.
Here’s the potato salad recipe with my comments in brackets (I just love a nice, short recipe):
Balsamic Potato and Green Bean Salad
By Tara Bench from Every Day with Rachael Ray, June-July 2007
EIGHT SERVINGS
Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 20 min1 1/2 pounds small new potatoes Salt 10 ounces green beans, trimmed and halved crosswise [They come pre-trimmed and cleaned in my grocery store.]
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice [Use the fresh stuff - it’s worth the little bit of extra effort]
1/2 teaspoon sugar [Do you think I could have used Splenda instead of sugar? It wasn’t enough to worry about, but I still always wonder when Splenda is a good substitute.]
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, plus whole sprigs for garnish
1. In a large saucepan, place the potatoes, 2 teaspoons salt and enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the green beans and cook for 3 minutes. Drain and let stand. [Cut them up if your potatoes are too big.]
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, mustard, pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. Whisk in the olive oil until combined.
3. Toss the potatoes and beans with the dressing to coat. Using a fork, mash several potatoes. Toss in the scallions and thyme. Season with more salt and pepper to taste and top with thyme sprigs. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Photo by Madeline Miller.
