Potato and salami salad

Summer has finally arrived! This weekend pretty much across the UK has been glorious. If your weather hasn’t been warm and sunny, please don’t begrudge us. We spend all year looking forward to the Summer and often end up with a single one week heatwave… 

No-one will forget the Summer of 2007 here; Rihanna had her monster hit “Umbrella”, and it rained and rained and rained. We begin to wonder if the beautiful Barbadian had cursed us. During the “Olympic” Summer of 2012, almost the whole first week of the “greatest show on earth” was a washout, and we wondered if the world would regret bestowing the Olympics upon London. Thankfully, the sun came through and the event was a success.

Summer brings some favourite British food and drink; jugs of Pimm’s, strawberries and cream, cucumber sandwiches, coleslaw and potato salad. The barbeques are going to be stoked up. At last, we can put away the scarves and layers. Hooray!

This dish is my spin on potato salad. Rather than lashings of mayonnaise with spring onions and chives, I wanted something a little lighter. I wanted a dinner-in-a-bowl salad rather than a side. I love traditional potato salad, but you can’t have a whole plate of it.

So vinaigrette and herbs replace the mayo. Veggies and salami provide some substance, fibre and protein to complement the carbs. 

Potato and salami salad

(Serves 2)

Ingredients

For the salad:

80-100g sliced salami cut into bite sized pieces

3 small shallots, chopped finely

2 teaspoons fresh tarragon, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh flat leaved parsley, chopped

8-10 asparagus spears, cut in half lengthwise

250g small sized waxy salad potatoes, unpeeled, cut into bite sized pieces

2 or so broccoli florets, cut into small slices (optional)

1-2 tablespoons dry white wine

For the dressing:

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ tablespoon white wine vinegar

2 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Boil the potatoes in boiling water until cooked, around 10 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to cool down. Drain again.

2. In another pan of boiling water, blanch the broccoli and asparagus; broccoli goes in first for 1 minute, then add the asparagus and cook together for another minute. As with the potatoes, stop them cooking; drain and run under cold water. Drain again.

3. Move the potatoes to a non-metallic bowl. Add the shallots and drizzle with the white wine. Mix up thoroughly.

4. Make the dressing: in a bowl, whisk together the vinegar and mustard. Add the salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Add the olive oil and keep whisking. The Dijon mustard should help emulsify the dressing, so once mixed you can leave it a while. Just remember to give it a last whisk before using.

5. Now it is time to make up the salad. Add the remaining ingredients for the salad to the potato mixture. Try to combine without breaking the ingredients up too much. Now add the dressing, ensuring all the ingredients are thoroughly coated.

Serve at once and enjoy.