My main experience with potato salad is that it is usually 50% mayonnaise, 45% potatoes, and 5% unidentifiable vegetables that were probably shredded carrots at one point, until they drowned in all the mayo. This recipe, however, is a. not gross, b. pretty delicious, actually, and c. has vegetables. Also: vegan!

Mayonnaise-Free Potato Salad

Ingredients

For the salad:

2 lb small potatoes (e.g., red and white. The colours make it look more interesting)
1 bunch of asparagus
1/4 lb snow peas
1/4 lb green beans
4 medium-sized radishes

For the pickled onions:

3 spring onions
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar

For the vinaigrette:

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp whole grain mustard (regular mustard will not lead to the end of the world)
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Wash (but don’t peel) your potatoes, stick them in a saucepan, and cover them with an inch of water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes, until you can stab one with a knife easily. Drain and run under cool water until approximately room temperature.

2. While they cool, pickle your onions. This seems like it should be hard, but it is the easiest thing ever: whisk the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar together in a jar until the salt and sugar dissolve. Thinly slice the bulbs and paler green bits of the onions, and stick them in the jar too (you will need the green onion parts later, so don’t throw them away). Cover and refrigerate. If you are on top of your shit, do this step in advance and let it sit overnight. If you’re not, that’s OK too.

3. Fill a saucepan with salted water (pro tip: use the same pot you used for the potatoes) and bring it to a boil. While you’re waiting, fill a large bowl with cold water and ice. Also wash and trim the asparagus, green beans, and peas. When the water boils, add the asparagus. A minute later, and the beans and peas. Two minutes after that, drain the pot quickly and throw your vegetables into the ice water until chilled. Remove them and spread them over a towel to dry a little.

4. Slice the vegetables into smallish pieces (1/2 inch) and place them in what will be your largish salad bowl. Chop the potatoes into medium sized chunks and add them, too. Slice the radishes as thin as is humanly possible given your love of not cutting off your fingers, and add them, along with a few thinly chopped pieces of onion greens (only a few, you’ll be adding more onions soon).

5. Within an hour or so of eating the salad, or immediately if you are hungry, re-whisk the dressing and toss with the salad to taste, Sprinkle a few pickled onions in there, or all of them if you just really like onions, and season with salt and pepper.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

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