Pesto Potato Salad with Green Beans

In planning a Fourth of July picnic last week, Mili and I got very traditional American with the menu. Fried chicken and cheesecake were immediately agreed upon, and then for a side, we wanted potato salad. What’s screams “red, white and blue” more loudly than that?

Well, fried chicken quickly became cornflake-crusted baked chicken and the cheesecake morphed into the cutest berry yogurt cheesecake cupcakes a girl ever did see. And the potato salad … being mayo-averse, I knew the potato salad would have to be different from what you usually find at the deli.

Obviously when in search of a potato salad recipe, my first resource was Smitten Kitchen. Deb has made a LOT of potato salads in her blog life, including one that jumped out at me instantly (and possibly another one that I must make soon [and another one too]).

Pairing fresh, crisp green beans with the potatoes and pesto seemed like a no-brainer to me, and even though I cheated and used store-bought pesto, the salad was bright and summery. The crunch from the beans and from lightly toasted pine nuts offset the slight softness of my over-boiled potatoes and the touch of vinegar added just the right amount of tang. While I’m not quite a potato salad junkie yet, anything that requires minimal stove time and produces maximum flavor for zero effort is always a winner in my book.

Pesto Potato Salad with Green Beans
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

– 2 pounds Yukon gold or red-skinned potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces

– 1 pound green beans, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces

– 1 cup purchased pesto

– 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

– 2 tablespoons white vinegar

– 2 tablespoons chopped scallions (optional)

1) Cook the potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until they are just barely tender, 8-10 minutes. Add the beans and cook for 4 minutes longer. Drain well.

2) Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl and cool them for 10 minutes. Mix in the pesto, pine nuts and vinegar, tossing them to coat. Season with salt and pepper. You can also top with chopped scallions if desired. Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.