Author Notes
So easy, so delicious, so perfect for picnics, lazy summer afternoons, and backyard grilling. —CookingMonster
Test Kitchen Notes
People use many things to liven up traditional potato salad, and the best just may be the addition of fresh pesto. The lemony, nutty, basil paste adds a delicious, pungent bite to a simple starch. Grilling the potatoes allows them to form a crispness that lends a needed texture to the dish, while the mayo keeps it moist. (Allow the potatoes to cool slightly, but not completely, before adding the mayo and pesto concoction.) Consider adding green beans, apples and chicken to make it a main dish, or serve as-is for a unique potato side dish. —0BrooklynEats0
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Ingredients
- Pesto-Mayo Dressing
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2
lemons
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1 1/2 cups
extra virgin olive oil
-
1/2 cup
mayonnaise
-
1/2 cup
pine nuts
-
5-6 cups
fresh basil
-
3
cloves garlic
-
1 cup
fresh grated Parmesan
-
1 dash
salt
-
1 pinch
black pepper
- Grilled Potatoes
-
1 pound
thin-skinned potatoes (I've used baby reds, fingerlings, even Yukon golds. There's no wrong way to go here.)
-
3 tablespoons
olive oil
-
1 dash
salt
-
1 pinch
black pepper
Directions
- Pesto-Mayo Dressing
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Combine pine nuts, basil, garlic, and parmesan in a food processor.
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Drizzle in 1 1/2 cups of olive oil until the pine nuts, basil, garlic, parmesan, and olive oil have become a smooth (though textured!) pesto.
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Add salt and pepper to the pesto to taste.
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In a bowl, squeeze the juice from 2 lemons.
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Add 1/2 cup mayonnaise and about 2-3 heaping tbsp of the freshly made pesto to the lemon juice and whisk to combine.
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Salt and pepper the Pesto-Mayo to taste.
- Grilled Potatoes
-
Preheat grill (I have a charcoal grill, so I just get it nice and hot).
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Cut potatoes into smallish wedges. Not too small, or they'll burn; not too large, or they won't be quite bite-size.
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Toss potato wedges with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
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Lay potato wedges on the grill in a grill basket. They typically take about 20 minutes, but you want to keep an eye on them and turn them frequently... they can char rather quickly!
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Take the hot, smoky, charred potatoes off the grill and pop them right into the waiting bowl of pesto-mayo. Toss the mixture together.
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Enjoy!
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