Recipe: Italian Potato Salad (with garlic, parsley, and lemon)

Italian Potato Salad
From: the American Institute for Cancer Research

As summer drones on, finding new ways to present indispensable dishes like potato salad becomes a growing challenge. Cookbooks and magazines feature potato salad recipes, but many are either sky-high in calories from fat, or they fall flat in flavor, particularly those with low-fat dressings.

Having grown up on real, full-fat sour cream, mayonnaise and yogurt, I find today's leaner versions bland and chalky. They absorb quickly into the potatoes, leaving a drier salad.

Another personal preference regards the potato used for this salad. I prefer whole small potatoes, ideally no more than one inch across, in their skin. When freshly dug, summer potatoes have a paper-thin skin that, besides adding fiber, makes a lovely contrast to the creamy, sometimes even sweet, flesh inside. Biting into baby new potatoes produces a pleasing burst of flavor.

I also believe taking time to pick through a bin of loose potatoes to find evenly-sized small ones is worthwhile because they all will reach the right degree of doneness at the same time. Cook the potatoes, uncovered, in a deep pot filled with cold water. Start timing the cooking only after the water boils, checking for doneness after 10 minutes for potatoes the size of your thumbnail, 15 minutes for those about 1-inch across and 20 minutes for those at least 1 1/2 inches in size. Halved or cut-up potatoes get done slightly faster than whole ones.

I love making potato salad with the flavors from ethnic, unexpected sources, like the colorful condiment known as Siclian caponata, which is made with eggplant, onions, tomatoes, capers and olives. Tossing still-hot potatoes with this sharp, sweet-and-sour flavor makes a memorable salad.

Gremolata, another Italian condiment served with osso bucco, or stewed veal shanks, is another winner with potatoes. A prepared blend of chopped lemon zest, parsley and garlic, it packs big flavor. Add only a touch of olive oil for a magnificent potato salad.

1 lb. (about 20) small red-skinned new potatoes
3/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, lightly packed
1 small lemon, or 1/2 large
1 garlic clove
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaves

Place potatoes in pot and cover to depth of 2 inches with cold water. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and cook until potatoes are soft when pierced with knife or fork tines, about 20 minutes.

While potatoes cook, chop parsley, grate zest from lemon and mince garlic clove. Set aside.
Drain potatoes, cut in halves and place in bowl. Add parsley, zest, garlic and oil. Toss to coat potatoes. Squeeze 1 to 2 tablespoons juice from lemon over top. Add salt and pepper to taste and toss.

Serve immediately or at room temperature.
This salad keeps in refrigerator, tightly covered, 1 day.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 106 calories, 2 g. fat (less than 1 g. saturated fat), 21 g. carbohydrate, 2 g. protein, 2 g. dietary fiber, 47 mg. sodium.