Tonight we got together with some friends for a champagne-themed playdate (the best kind) to kick off the holiday season. We picked recently felled pecans in their backyard and enjoyed their oily fresh taste, gathering as many as we could before accidentally crushing them underfoot. The weather is almost perfect this time of year, with a barely cool breeze and hazy violet sunsets. Is this what they call an Indian summer?… according to Wikipedia, this is exactly what we’re having. I’m loving it.
I guess that’s why I leaned toward a summery potato salad as my bring-along dish for tonight. I wanted something light and fresh but a little different than the norm. The chickpeas were an easy solution, but at the least minute I decided to also throw in some lima beans that I’d had in the freezer for a while. I love the texture & buttery taste of the limas.
Potato, Chickpea & Lima Bean Salad
10 new potatoes, sliced into 1/4″ thin discs
1 can chickpeas, rinsed
1/2 small bag of lima beans, frozen
3 green onions
10 mint leaves
zest from one lemon
juice from one lemon (to equal 3 tbsp)
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp whipping cream
kosher salt & pepper
nasturium flower for garnish (optional!)
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add potatoes & boil for 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain & rinse off to cool.
2. Combine potatoes, chickpeas, green onions, & mint in a salad bowl.
3. Boil 2 cups of water in the same pan, and add lima beans. Simmer for 10 minutes, then drain. Add to potato mixture.
4. Make dressing by whisking remaining ingredients together (the whipping cream helps emulsify the lemon & oil). Toss with the potatoes & beans and taste for salt. Let sit at room temperature for a few hours before serving.
Serves 4-6
