What did people eat before the pesto boom of the ’80’s? I love pesto and eat it by the bucketful but I always seem to end up with a bit left in the jar that is not enough for a batch of pasta.  Well, this Pesto Potato Salad is one of my favourite ways of using up that annoying last bit. It’s also good for using up some of those veggies you have sitting in the bottom of your fridge.

I used radishes, edamame and red onion in mine.  You could use beans, peas, tomatoes, zucchini whatever you have in the house or your favourite veggies.

The idea behind this is that you use what is left in the jar to make the dressing.  Add some oil and lemon juice into your jar of pesto, close it up tight and give it a good shake.

Taste – add salt, pepper, some chilli flakes, maybe a little more garlic if you like.  I added some extra parmesan cheese to really ramp up some of those pesto flavours.

Shake again and pour over freshly boiled potatoes while they are still warm.  This will allow the flavour to really infuse into the potatoes as they cool.  Cos no one likes a bland potato salad!

You can make it up to this point in the morning or even the day before you are planning to have the salad.  Just pop the potatoes and dressing into the fridge until you are almost ready to serve.

At that time, remove from the fridge, stir through the rest of your veggies, throw in some toasted pine nuts and, some finely chopped basil leaves (I didn’t have basil and felt it would be against the spirit of a Use By Post to buy some just for the Pesto Potato Salad so mine is garnished with chives).

This salad is great with BBQ’s, seafood, chicken, anywhere you would have regular potato salad but maybe want to shake things up a bit.  I could eat potato salad every day of the week so something a bit different from the classic mayo-based salad (but for a great one of them, see here) makes a refreshing change.

Here’s the recipe.

Pesto Potato Salad

Print Recipe

A delicious and versatile potato salad

• Author: Taryn Fryer

Ingredients

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• 4 medium potatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup edamame
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 4 radishes, sliced
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese
• Basil leaves, chives to garnish
• Dressing!
• 1 jar of bought pesto with around 1 tbsp of pesto left in the bottom
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 clove of finely chopped garlic (optional)
• A sprinkle of chilli flakes (optional)
• Salt and Pepper to Taste

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Instructions

1. Dressing!
2. Place all the ingredients in the jar of pesto, seal and shake well until mixed.
3. Boil the potatoes until just tender
4. Pour the dressing over the top.
5. Just before serving mix through the remaining vegetables and pine nuts.
6. Top with the herbs.
7. Enjoy!

Notes

• Feel free to add whatever cooked or raw vegetables you have into this salad!

Pesto,  may well be  the quiche of the ’80’s but it also makes a damn fine potato salad!

Have a great week!