Bramble & Spice

This herb and vegetable focused potato salad is a great addition to the summer table. I like to combine everything when the potatoes are hot, so that the goat cheese gets a little melty and coats everything. It makes for a slightly messier appearance, but a more balanced bite. I like the tang that the goat cheese adds but you could also use feta or leave the cheese out altogether. The dish will still come together just as well if the ingredients are at room temperature. This salad is delicious cold, making it a great dish to make up ahead of time or to share with friends at a BBQ. Either way, this is a dish best served outside. Enjoy!

Roasted Summer Veg and Potato Herb Salad

Yield: 4 servings

10 oz green beans, trimmed

1 zucchini, cut into rounds or diced

1 lb 6 oz yellow potatoes

¾ cup parsley, minced

¾ cup basil, minced

½ cup mint, mined

¼ cup chives, minced

½ cup goat cheese, crumbled

½ cup almonds, toasted

1 Tb sherry vinegar

1 ½ tsp olive oil

Salt

Preheat the oven to 425°. On a parchment lined baking sheet, spread out the trimmed green beans. On a separate lined tray, spread out the zucchini. Drizzle both trays with olive oil, fresh pepper, and 1 tsp salt per tray. Use your hands to combine each tray, spreading the vegetables out flat once they’ve been mixed. Place the zucchini tray on the middle rack of the oven and the green beans on the top rack. Roast for 12-15 minutes, take out the green beans, and continue roasting until the zucchini is done, another 10-12 minutes. Remove the parchment and green beans from the baking sheet and return the unlined baking sheet to the oven, so that it has time to heat up before the potatoes go in.

While the vegetables are roasting, cut the potatoes. I like to cut them in half, and then each half into quarters. The important thing is that they’re all roughly the same size. In a bowl, toss the potatoes with 1 ½ Tb olive oil, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, and 1 tsp salt. Carefully, pull out the hot baking sheet from the oven and spread the potatoes out evenly, so that none are overlapping. Roast for 22-25 minutes, until golden and toasty.

While the potatoes are roasting, roughly mince the herbs and set aside. Place the roasted vegetables in a large bowl. Roughly chop the toasted almonds and add to the bowl along with the crumbled goat cheese. In a small bowl whisk the 1 ½ tsp olive oil into the sherry vinegar and a pinch of salt. Set aside.

When the potatoes are done roasting, immediately transfer them on top of the goat cheese. Let sit for a minute, to melt the cheese, then add the herbs and sherry vinaigrette and toss altogether until well combined. Taste and add additional salt as needed.