Warm Potato and Green Pea Salad

This warm salad consists of pillow-soft baby potatoes, bright green peas, and lots of fresh dill. These are tossed in a dressing prepared with olive oil, grainy mustard, champagne vinegar, and seasonings. Serve this dish anytime, because a really good potato salad is always a hit!

I was born and raised in Newfoundland. Do you know what that means? Among other things, it means that I know potato salad better than anyone! As a food blogger, it is my job to try recipes, and I’ve tried more potato salads that I care to count. However, you can bet that if I were to make a list, this Warm Potato and Green Pea Salad would be in the top ten!

My absolute favourite type of potato salad is the Vegetable Potato Salad. If you travel across the island, you will discover that just about everyone makes it just a little differently. But, there are a few constant staples. For example, almost all Newfoundlanders will use canned mixed vegetables in their potato salad. And, by doing so, they are right!

Some of them will add apples. But, I’d rather be trapped in a butterfly conservatory. Those of you who know me well can just imagine how horrifying that would be for me! Some people add raw onion. I love the flavour of onion, but not raw, and certainly not in a potato salad. It overpowers the whole recipe! Some will add egg. I do. I love the texture and taste of eggs in a Vegetable Potato Salad. But, this salad is very different from the types I’m used to. First of all, there’s no mayonnaise! Let’s get into it, so you can make your own at home!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Baby Potatoes – These come in different varieties and any of them will do. I love the red skinned potatoes, but I opted for white potatoes to contrast well with the bright green peas.
• Green Peas – You can use fresh peas or frozen peas. The same preparation will go into both types. I’m using frozen peas in this recipe.
• Dill – Lots and lots of fresh dill is used in these potatoes.
• Olive Oil
• Grainy Mustard – The amount of flavour this adds is incredible. Don’t be tempted to use regular yellow mustard, because it will really destroy the clean look of this dish. Inglehoffer is my favourite brand.
• Champagne Vinegar – The acidity helps to regulate and and balance the olive oil. You can substitute with rice vinegar or cider vinegar.
• Lemon Juice – Use fresh lemon juice for best results.
• Salt and Ground Black Pepper
• Garlic Powder – Normally, I would use real garlic, but it’s a bit too strong for this salad. The powder adds the flavour without the strength.
• Onion Powder

MORE POTATO SALAD!

Lord Byron’s Kitchen has a lot of potato salad recipes. Yes, a good percentage of them are prepared in Newfoundland style, but some of them are not. So, basically, there’s a potato salad recipe here for everyone!

Inspired by classic Greek ingredients, with bright and fresh flavours, Greek Potato Salad is a great alternative to regular home style potato salad. Complete with feta, lemon, dill and pine nuts – who could resist!? And, for the serious dill pickle enthusiast, Dill Pickle Potato Salad is a creamy, dill-packed side dish fit for any summertime meal! Prepared with dill pickles, fresh chopped dill, and dill pickle juice too, this salad is very dilly indeed!

Familiar Tex Mex ingredients can be found in my delicious Tex Mex Potato Salad. Doesn’t it just scream summer? Prepared with baby potatoes, black beans, corn, bell peppers, and a mayonnaise and sour cream-based sauce, this potato salad is sure to be a hit!

In terms of Newfoundland-style potato salads, I’ve got you covered there too! I’ve already mentioned my favourite of the three common types, Vegetable Potato Salad. It’s made with chopped hard-boiled eggs, mashed potatoes, and green onions; it’s creamy, comforting, and oh so delicious! Mustard Potato Salad is very similar to regular potato salad, but with tang and zing from yellow mustard. Also, this one doesn’t have eggs. It’s a great way to update your regular salad with a new flavour profile! And, finally, there’s my Pickled Beet Potato Salad which is a sweet and creamy side dish paired perfectly with chicken or roast beef; a perfect summer potluck take-along side dish!

HOW TO PREPARE A WARM POTATO AND GREEN PEA SALAD

1. Cooking the Potatoes

The bulk of this recipe comes down the preparation of the potatoes and the green peas. Once those are ready to go, it’s just a matter of chopping up the dill and whisking together the ingredients for the dressing. To cook the potatoes, add them to a small pot. Cover with cold water until there’s at least one inch of water above the potatoes. Add a little bit of salt. Place a lid on the pot and over high heat, bring the potatoes to a full boil and cook for five minutes. Turn off the heat, but do not remove the lid. Allow the potatoes to sit in the hot water for 7-8 minutes.

To test for doneness, try to insert a toothpick into one of the potatoes. It should go in, but with some resistance. The potato should be almost cooked until tender, but still have a bit of firmness to it. If you have to force the toothpick, or if the potato looks like it’s going to split into two pieces, they’re not done. Place the lid back on the pot and test the potatoes again in five minutes. Once done, drain and cool completely. This only works for baby potatoes or potatoes that have been cubed.

2. Blanching the Green Peas

As previously mentioned, I’m using frozen green peas in this recipe. The prepare them for this recipe, all you need to do is to blanche them. That will ensure they are heated through, and it will bring out the bright green colour and lock it in.

Fill a sauce pan half full of cold water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add a bit of salt and dump in the frozen peas. Stir and allow the peas to cook for one to two minutes. Drain the peas immediately and run cold water over them. Normally, when blanching, you immerse the boiled veggies into a bowl of ice water. In this case, we want to stop the cooking, but not make the pea ice cold. A quick run under cold water will do the trick.

3. The Dressing

To prepare the dressing, add the following ingredients to a bowl and whisk until well incorporated. You can also measure the ingredients into a mason jar and with a tight fitting lid, shake the jar until the dressing is well mixed.

The ingredients needed for the dressing are olive oil, grainy mustard, champagne vinegar, lemon juice, salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. This dressing can also be made ahead of time. When ready to toss the potatoes and peas with the dressing, be sure to shake or whisk it well once again, since sometimes the oil may separate.

4. Tossing the Salad

With everything at the ready, add the potatoes, green peas, and the chopped dill to a bowl. Pour over the dressing and use a rubber spatula to gently toss the ingredients together. Don’t be too rough. The goal is to keep the potatoes whole and the peas from being mushed.

Once done, transfer the salad to a serving bowl. Top the salad with more chopped dill and maybe some optional finely chopped parsley for garnish. Serve the salad warm or at room temperature.

BABY POTATOES

Baby potatoes are really the only type of potatoes we buy in our home.  They offer me more versatility. They cook a lot faster; the skin can be left on; and when cooked, the skin doesn’t become tough or ugly – for lack of a better word. 

And, probably just as important as those things, is the fact that they come in small two-pound bags, which is more than enough for the three of us, and they don’t take up a lot of room like most bags of regular sized potatoes which usually come in five-pound bags.

I’m not against using larger russet or golden potatoes for this recipe, in fact, larger potatoes will work quite well. You will just want to cut the larger potatoes into one inch cubes before cooking. It is also worth noting that you can double this recipe if needed. I think a combination of white and red skinned potatoes would look wonderful!

PERFECTLY COOKED POTATOES

Have you ever tasted a potato that is overcooked? Instead of it being buttery and soft, it’s mushy and wet. Here’s how I like to get the perfect boiled baby potato every single time!

Add the potatoes to a small pot. Cover with cold water until there’s at least one inch of water above the potatoes. Add a little bit of salt. Place a lid on the pot and over high heat, bring the potatoes to a full boil and cook for five minutes. Turn off the heat, but do not remove the lid. Allow the potatoes to sit in the hot water for 7-8 minutes.

To test for doneness, try to insert a toothpick into one of the potatoes. It should go in, but with some resistance. The potato should be almost cooked until tender, but still have a bit of firmness to it. If you have to force the toothpick, or if the potato looks like it’s going to split into two pieces, they’re not done. Place the lid back on the pot and test the potatoes again in five minutes. Once done, drain and cool completely.