Green Bean Potato Salad

Green Bean Potato Salad - Food & Nutrition Magazine - Stone Soup
Photo by Julie Harrington

One of my summer jobs during college was with an outdoor catering company, where we prepared food on-site at graduation parties, barbecues, picnics, etc. When working in catering, you have to prepare recipes in large quantities to feed the masses. One of my least favorite things to prepare was the potato salad.

Traditional potato salad is dressed with mayonnaise. That is one condiment that I have never enjoyed. Now, imagine preparing potato salad for 100+ people at one time. The amount of mayo I had to scoop daily was unreal.

Since I don’t personally enjoy mayonnaise, I wanted to create a non-mayo-based dressing for potato salad with a twist by adding green beans and corn. Don’t be afraid to switch up a classic and bring something new to the table, like this Green Bean Potato Salad.Green Bean Potato Salad -

Why use red bliss potatoes for this Green Bean Potato Salad?

Red potatoes have smooth, thin skin. Its skin is edible, so it’s not necessary to peel or remove it after cooking. Like many waxy varieties, red potatoes are low in starch and won’t produce a light, fluffy texture. They are best used for boiling and roasting and work well in dishes that would benefit from a potato that holds its shape, even when sliced and diced, like for this Green Bean Potato Salad.

Culinary Terms: Blanching and Shocking

The word blanch refers to a cooking technique in which food is briefly immersed in steam or boiling water, usually followed by shocking, which is rapidly cooling the food in an ice bath or with cold air.

When you blanch food for the right amount of time it helps maintain flavor, color, texture, and nutritional value. No one wants limp and soggy green beans.

Green Bean Potato Salad

Serves 10

Ingredients

  • 1 pound red bliss potatoes
  • 2 ears of corn, shucked
  • 1 pound French green beans, cut in half
  • 1 lemon, juiced (or 2 tablespoons lemon juice)
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. In a large pot add potatoes. Fill with water,bring to a boil and season with salt. Cook potatoes until fork tender, about 20 minutes (depending on the size of your potatoes).
  2. Using tongs, carefully remove the potatoes and let cool. Add corn to the boiling water. Cook for 10 minutes, or until corn is tender.
  3. Using tongs, carefully remove the corn and let cool. Add the string beans to the boiling water. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until green beans are tender. Drain green beans and immediately put them in an ice bath to stop the cooking process. When cooled, drain the green beans and let dry.
  4. When potatoes are cooled, dice into cubes. Cut corn off the cob.
  5. In a large bowl, whisk together lemon juice, Dijon mustard and olive oil. Add potatoes, corn and green beans. Toss to coat.
  6. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  7. Let the potato salad sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to let all the flavors marinate.

Cooking Notes

  • Don’t have corn on the cob? Swap for sweet canned corn or frozen corn kernels.
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Julie Lopez
Julie Lopez, RD is the registered dietitian and culinary nutrition chef behind her website ChefJulieRD.com based in New Jersey.

Cooking has always given Julie joy because of its powerful ability to connect people together. She was always intrigued by the way food can impact your health and decided to follow her passion to dive deeper in learning through culinary school and becoming a registered dietitian.

Julie’s passion is to educate others about nutrition through food and giving them the tools they need to build confidence in the kitchen. It’s her mission to help everyone appreciate all the delicious ways foods can be prepared so everyone can fall in love with it again and again.

Most recently, her recipes have been featured in NBC News, Huffington Post, and US News & World Report.