Potato Beet Salad

The days are hot, school is out, the grill is fired up, and it's potato salad season. We're adding some color to ours today with a Haitian variation of Potato Beet Salad. Potatoes and beets are a lovely earthy combination with some parsley, and pickled red onions, this is great mellow tasting accompaniment to your early summer grilling. Check out other non-traditional potato salad variations: moroccan roasted sweet potato salad, grilled potato salad with jalapeno, bacon & blue cheesetuscan potato salad.

Yield: Serves 4-6 as a side dish

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, uniform size preferable
  • 1/2 pound beets, cut into pieces roughly the size of the potatoes
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1/2 cup cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed black pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 1/2 cup red onion, finely cut (can substitute pickled red onions)
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Steps:

  1. Wash potatoes and beets and cut into uniform sized pieces if they are significantly different in size. Place them in a large pot. Cover with cold water, add a few liberal pinches of salt. Bring to a boil.
  2. Reduce heat to medium low and keep potatoes and beets at a vigorous simmer until they are firm but cooked through, approximately 10-15 minutes for small potatoes and beets. The best way to determine your potatoes and beets are cooked is to taste them. They should be just barely cooked through, as there will be some residual cooking after you get them off the heat.  
  3. Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients, garlic, vinegar, mustard, pepper, salt, and oil.
  4. Drain potatoes and beets. Peel the beets and add them to a large bowl with the potatoes. Cut the potatoes and beets into small pieces (if you haven't already done so), once they are cool enough for you to safely handle.
  5. Pour vinaigrette over warm potatoes and beets, add the red onions, and stir with a spatula to combine.
  6. Prior to serving, stir in the chopped parsley and adjust the salt and vinegar to taste. Note that the potatoes and beets will absorb flavor as they cool (the salad will taste very pungent when freshly mixed, but will mellow with time).