Chimichurri Potato Salad

The quality of the potatoes from our farm share this year has been outstanding, especially the waxy, creamy red potatoes. Perfect for potato salads. We prefer vinegar based salads vs. mayonnaise, so I generally use a combination of mustard, vinegar, oil, dill, etc. Yesterday I had a beauty of an anaheim chile on hand and some fresh parsley, so I decided to try tossing the potatoes with a chimichurri sauce, which is a kind of Argentinian green sauce usually served with grilled meat. It was simply the best potato salad I’ve ever eaten.

Chimichurri Potato Salad

  • 2 lbs red potatoes
  • 1 pint green beans
  • 2 cups packed parsley leaves
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 anaheim chile, diced (optionally seeded)
  • 1 T minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup minced shallot
  • salt & pepper to taste

Scrub the potatoes clean (or peel if you must), cut into 3/4 inch chunks, and steam for about 15 minutes or until easily pierced with a sharp knife.

Trim the green beans and break into 1 inch pieces. Blanch the beans for a few minutes. If you’re clever you can re-use the boiling water from steaming the potatoes. When done shock them in some ice water to stop the cooking and then drain.

Add the remaining ingredients to a food processor and pulse several times until the parsley is broken down and the sauce gets a good, saucey consistency. More than salsa, less than pesto.

Pour the sauce over the still-warm potatoes and the beans. Mix. Chill. Devour.

Written on August 16, 2009