Egg & Olive Potato Salad

Egg and Olive Potato Salad

This is my fifth potato salad recipe, but  summer has arrived and surely everyone must have some fond memories of summer picnics that always included a potato salad that their mother, or grandmother made with love and affection. Myself included!  

Egg and olive salad sandwiches were always my favorite when I was a kid. So an egg and olive potato salad was an inevitable pairing waiting in the wings and I have to say this fresh alternative potato salad that will become a favorite in your ever expanding repertoire to serve for picnics, barbecues, or just about any summer meal.

Egg and Olive Potato Salad     Serves 4

For the Salad:

• 3 organic eggs at room temperature
• 3 large gold potatoes
• 1 small yellow onion, diced finely
• 12 pimiento stuffed green olives, halved and sliced
• 1 celery rib, diced finely
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced Italian parsley leaves
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds, lightly toasted
• flaked sea salt (Maldon)

For the dressing:

• ¾ cup mayonnaise
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely grated
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ¾ teaspoon mustard powder
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
• reserved cooked egg yolks

Suggested for a bed of salad leaves: romaine, iceberg, cabbage chiffonade, radicchio leaves, wild rocket (arugula), or others that are in season.

Bring a sauce pan of water to a boil. Add a tablespoon of salt. Gently lower the eggs into the boiling water. Reduce the heat slightly. Once the water returns to simmer continue cooking for 5 minutes. Then turn off the heat, cover the pan with a lid, and set aside for 10 minutes. Prepare an ice water bath in a separate bowl. Transfer the eggs to the chilled ice water bath and set aside until completely cool. Then remove the eggs, gently bash them a few times on the work surface, peel them under running water, and set aside to air dry. When dry, slice the eggs in half lengthwise, remove the yolks and set them aside in a small bowl. Coarsely chop the egg whites and set aside.

Place the whole unpeeled potatoes in a steamer and steam for 30 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a small knife or bamboo skewer. Set the potatoes aside until cool enough to handle. Then gently peel them under cold running water. Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise, cut into bite size pieces, and set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl combine the potatoes, onions, egg whites, sliced olives, diced celery, and sliced parsley leaves. Season with salt and pepper and toss vigorously, bashing the potatoes around a bit, until the ingredients are well mixed.

Combine all the salad dressing  ingredients, except the cooked egg yolks, in a small mixing bowl. Using a silicone spatula press the egg yolks though a wire strainer positioned over the dressing bowl. Then whisk the dressing until nearly smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking.

Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and fold in until all the ingredients are evenly coated with the dressing.

Serving:

Combine a selection of assorted salad leaves in a bowl. Add a couple of splashes of red wine vinegar and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss. Arrange a bed of dressed leaves in each salad plate. Lightly add the egg and olive potato salad over the greens. Sprinkle with the toasted mustard seeds and some flaked sea salt and serve!