The potato salad make-over

It’s officially barbecue season and we all know what that means?

Furiously Googling ‘best barbecue salads’ before you’re asked to bring a dish to that garden party (social distancing permitting). There’s also nothing worse than making your mums ‘famous’ potato salad recipe, only to find that it joins five other potato salads in the sun circled by wasps. After three large glasses of rosé you forget all about it, until you approach the buffet and see your sweaty potato salad untouched – I mean, even you don’t want it.

Don’t get me wrong, potato salad is a wonderful thing straight out the fridge, but it doesn’t have barbecue longevity. So, what to make? Well potato salad of course. Just not the white mushy kind that requires constant refrigeration. My roasted new potato version with a zingy hummus dressing is a crowd-pleasing winner that will be gobbled up before the burger buns are buttered. For starters, who doesn’t like a cold salty roast potato? I rest my case.

Roasted new potato salad with hummus dressing

Serves a generous 4 or 8 as a side / Hands on time 20 mins / Total time 1 hr 15 mins

Ingredients

1kg new potatoes

2 tsp sea salt flakes

2 tsp rapeseed oil

1 cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks

8 radishes, sliced

2 handfuls pumpkin seeds

2 large handfuls pitted black olives, roughly chopped

1 deseeded bell pepper, finely chopped

½ small red onion, sliced thinly

4 large handfuls salad leaves to serve

200g feta, crumbled (optional)

Dressing:

2 tbs shop-bought hummus

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp honey

Method:

1. Preheat an oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400F/gas mark 6.

2. Cut in half the larger new potatoes leaving the smaller one’s whole. Give them a quick wash before patting them dry with a tea towel or kitchen roll. Pour the potatoes into a large mixing bowl and add the oil and the salt.

3. Mix well making sure the potatoes are well coated. Tip out onto 2 lined baking trays, making sure to space the potatoes apart. (No need to wash up the mixing bowl, save it to make your salad in later).

4. Roast in the oven for 15 mins before giving them a little shake. Continue to roast for a further 10 mins. Give them a final shake, turn off the heat but leave them in the oven while you prepare the salad.

TIP: I often roast the potatoes in the morning and leave them in the oven to rest (sometimes for hours) until I’m ready for the salad. This salad can be enjoyed warm or cold so it’s up to you.

5. Start to assemble the salad by adding the chopped cucumber, red pepper, red onion, radishes and pitted black olives to the large mixing bowl you used earlier (the smaller your dice your salad the better to give an even distribution per portion. Sprinkle over the pumpkin seeds and season with salt and pepper. Give it a good mix.

6. Make the dressing either in the hummus pot (if you have about 2 tbs left) or in a small bowl. Combine all the ingredients together and give it a good stir until combined.

7. Finally remove the potatoes from the oven and tip into the salad along with the crumbled feta (if using). Give it a stir before adding all of the dressing and mix well. Serve on a bed of salad leaves and with an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a good crack of black pepper.