Herb Potato Salad

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I love the Barefoot Contessa. I love her beautiful food. I love her fantastic garden. I love that she throws parties for Broadway casts and they serenade her. Most of all, I love that she keeps pound cakes in her freezer, “to always have one handy.”

I’ve made a lot of her recipes and have never had one that I didn’t like. I usually don’t need tweak them at all and, under normal circumstances, this potato salad would be no exception. However, I had some beef stock that I needed to use and I’m avoiding making dishes with wine where the alcohol doesn’t cook off if I’m going to serve them to G.

I also used red and white potatoes, since that’s what I had in the fridge, and left out the parsley. Even with my adjustments, the salad was delicious. It was light and flavorful. It was pretty easy to make, but definitely was a bit of a time commitment. It was totally worth it though. Mmmm.

The recipe:

1 1/2 lbs potatoes

kosher salt

2 tablespoons beef stock

1 tablespoons lemon juice

1 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/3 cup olive oil

1/8 cup red onion, finely diced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

Yield: 4 servings

TKT: 45 minutes

Place the potatoes in a large pot of well-salted water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are barely tender when pierced with a knife.

Drain the potatoes in a colander, then place the colander with the potatoes over the empty pot off the heat and cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel. Leave the potatoes to steam for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender but firm.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the wine, chicken stock, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, mustard, 2 teaspoons salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into quarters or halves, depending on their size.

Place the cut potatoes in a large bowl and pour enough dressing over them to moisten. (As the salad sits, you may need to add more dressing.) Try to dress the potatoes while still warm so that they really absorb all the liquid. Add the onion, tarragon and parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.

Toss well, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend.

Serve cold or at room temperature.