Potato Salad with Chile-Cumin Vinaigrette

[Guest guest]

Everyone loves a picnic - the fresh air, the smell of the barbeque,

and the variety of potluck dishes on the table. Usually, you'll find

at least one or two mayonnaise-based salads, a macaroni salad, and

some sort of potato salad. I'm not crazy about mayo, so I'm always

interested in any potato salad without it.

 

I knew what I wanted to try with this salad, but it wasn't until I

tasted the final product that I knew I had hit it. The toasted cumin

in the dressing, alongside the fresh cilantro and dried thai chilies,

provide a perfect summery dressing with a bit of a twang. Also, since

it's mayo-less and uses olive oil as the base, this is very low in

calories and fat, which makes it almost guilt-free. (On the heat

scale, it's only about a 2 out of 5)

 

The finished dish can be seen at http://www.28cooks.com

 

Potato Salad with Chile-Cumin Vinaigrette

 

5 cups red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1 " pieces

1 tsp salt

2 green onions

3 tbsp red onion, diced

 

Vinaigrette

1 tsp cumin seeds

4 dried thai chiles

1/2 c fresh cilantro leaves

1/2 jalapeno

1 tsp minced onion

1 clove garlic, minced

6 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar

1/4 c olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Place potato pieces into a large saucepan and cover with water. Add 1

tsp of salt. Bring water to a boil, and boil about 8 minutes.

Potatoes should be tender when pierced with a skewer. Drain pot, and

place potatoes into large bowl. Add green and red onion.

Vinaigrette - place cumin seeds in a small skillet. Over high heat,

toast 2 minutes, until seeds are fragrant and brown. Allow to cool,

and grind in a mortar and pestle. In food processor, combine cumin,

chilies, cilantro, jalapeno, onion, garlic, and rice vinegar. Process

until all ingredients are well minced. With motor running, slowly add

olive oil until dressing is emulsified.

Pour vinaigrette over potatoes and stir to coat. Serve at room

temperature or chilled.

 

Enjoy!

Christiane