Potato Salad w/ Honey Thyme Vinaigrette

Whew!

It seems like forever since I've been here to share anything with you.  It has been a whirlwind of activity around our house this summer and it has just started.  

 

I don't know whether or not I have told you about the Menu for the Future Discussion Group that David and I have been attending for the last six weeks.  Well, honestly, we haven't attended every week due to the chaos of moving and our summer activities; but, we have done the readings and attended when we could.  Long story, short.....you should look this up and if there is a discussion available in your area, I would encourage you to attend.  We learned so much and met some really nice people in our community in the process.

Last night, we marked the end of the discussion group meetings with a pot luck dinner.  What a fun time we had!  Monkey's dad participated in the noon meeting so we were blessed to enjoy dinner last night with their family along with my in-laws and some other family members who participated.

To get to the point of this blog post, I want to tell you about the dish that I brought.  When considering what to bring to this dinner, I happened across the most fabulous recipe featured by one of my favorite bloggers, Girlichef, who I am sure most of you know.  If by chance you haven't visited her wonderful blog, I encourage you to visit soon.  You will be so glad you did. The recipe that she posted looked so wonderful that I knew that I had to make it for the party.

I went in search of the fingerling potatoes that she used in her recipe and while I was able to find some of them, the market, also, had these other fantastic looking gourmet baby reds and purple potatoes and I had to pick them up, as well.  You know that I can't seem to make the recipe exactly as it's written.  My fingerling potatoes didn't cooperate with slicing them lengthwise down the middle like the original recipe called for so I ended up cutting them into about the same size as the other potatoes.

I was blessed enough to have the fresh thyme in my garden so the dressing recipe was perfect for using that.  I used a combination of regular thyme and lemon thyme.  And then there were the chive blossoms in the garden.....

Look at them! They were begging for me to use them in some way.  I have to tell you that my chives never bloomed in Louisiana so I had no idea that this occurred.  I am so thankful that the lady who lived in this house before me had planted some years ago.  These would be the perfect garnish for the top of the salad.

So without further adieu....here's my version of Girlichef's salad.

 Potato and Green Bean Salad w/ Honey-Thyme Vinaigrette

Adapted from Girlichef

salad ingredients:

1½ lbs. Potatoes

sea salt or kosher salt

8 oz. fresh green beans, ends snapped

1 smallish red onion, sliced paper thin

1 lb. bacon

2 oz. Feta cheese

Chopped Chives and Chive Blossoms, for garnish (optional)

honey-thyme vinaigrette:

¼ c. cider vinegar

1 shallot, peeled

2 Tbsp. honey

1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves

1½ tsp. Dijon mustard

½ c. canola or vegetable oil

sea salt or kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

Combine cider vinegar, shallot, honey, thyme leaves, and Dijon in the jar of a blender and process until smooth. Throw in a couple pinches of salt and a few good grinds of pepper. With blender running, slowly pour in oil in a steady stream until thick. Set aside. 

Slice bacon crosswise into ¼-½" strips.  Place in a frying pan and cook gently, pulling them apart from each other with your spoon, until just done. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool.

Place scrubbed potatoes in a large pot with water to cover by at least an inch. Add about a teaspoon or so salt and bring to a boil. Turn heat to a simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until just tender. Drain and then spread the potatoes out on a sheet tray to cool until you are able to handle them. 

Bring about a quart of salted water to a boil and add the green beans. Cook for 3 minutes or until just al dente. Quickly drain and shock the beans in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Once they are cooled, drain beans for a few minutes.

If you use fingerling potatoes, slice them in half lengthwise or slice into rounds while they are warm and place them in a large bowl with the green beans and sliced red onion.  Toss them with about half of the dressing.  If you are not ready to serve it right away, cover it and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.   

When you are ready to serve your potato salad, toss everything in the bowl around again.  Add chopped, cooked bacon and feta cheese and toss to combine again, adding more dressing if you'd like.  Sprinkle with chopped bacon, chives and chive blossoms.  This salad may be served warm, cold or at room temperature. Enjoy!

This post is being linked up with Hearth & Soul Hop,  Delectable Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, What's Cooking Wednesday, Whatcha Makin' Wednesdays, Savory Sunday, and Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you have a wonderful week!