Cook: Summer Potato Salad For Mayo-Haters

Show off your onion and bush bean harvests with this simple salad

I’ve always been a mayo-hater. Only recently have I come around to a good, garlicky homemade aioli, but I can’t even stand to see a jar of mayo (or a tube here in Slovenia) in my refrigerator. That’s why this potato salad has always been a favorite of mine. Once upon a time, when I lived in a land (America) with access to whatever produce I wanted at any time of year, I would make this potato salad all year long. Now, it’s strictly a summer treat (though I’ve come up with cold-weather variations) and we enjoy it even more. It’s a very simple recipe — my Italian grandmother’s actually, and made for me throughout my childhood by my mother — and I hesitate to share it because you could probably figure this out yourself. But I’ve learned a few tricks to take it from good to really good. My 7-year old wants you to know that the best part of this salad is the onion, but I like the beans. I grow a trio of green, purple, and yellow bush beans specifically for this dish and pickled dilly beans. 

Grow + Harvest: Onions From Seed

Pay attention to the order of assembly. That’s one of the tricks. 

Potato, Onion, and Bush Bean Salad

• 2.5 lbs potatoes, cut into 1-1.5 inch chunks (we usually use whatever potatoes we have in the root cellar, but yukon golds or red potatoes work well)

• Big bunch of bush beans, ends trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces

• 1 large red onion or 2 small ones, Tropea if you have access to it. 

• 3/4 cup olive oil

• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar

• 1 tsp sea salt or to taste

Prepare your steamer, and steam potatoes until they’re so tender that they start to fall apart when you stick a fork in them.

In the meantime, mix olive oil, vinegar, and salt in the bottom of a large bowl. Slice red onions thinly, but enough to have a slight bite to them. Add them to the olive oil and vinegar. 

When the potatoes are done, add them hot to the bowl right on top of the onions. The heat will soften and sweeten the onions. 

Add beans to the steamer pot and cook until just tender. Don’t overcook these. You still want them to have a very slight crunch to them. Add beans to the bowl and toss together. 

Adjust oil, vinegar, and salt to taste. Add black pepper if you like. Let sit for about 20 minutes before serving. Even better the next day (though sometimes you have to add a bit more dressing to wake it up a bit).