Pesto potato salad

Amazingly easy? Ridiculously easy? Mind-bogglingly easy? Kinda green? I couldn't think of what to call this potato salad, made with store-bought basil pesto, a bit of mayonnaise, and some baby red-skinned potatoes. When we lived in the log house, my large herb garden gave me more than enough basil every summer so I could stock the freezer with homemade basil pesto, but here in the city, I didn't get my garden put in this summer, so there's no stash of homemade pesto in my freezer. Lucky for us, good-quality store-bought pesto is easy to find in the grocery store (I bought mine at Costco). This potato salad made a fine companion to my grandma's beef brisket, and reminded me of two things: first, that a look around the pantry is still the best way to get inspired; and second, that not every tasty recipe needs to be a complicated one.

Pesto potato salad {vegetarian, gluten-free}

From the pantry, you'll need: mayonnaise, fresh black pepper.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients

24 oz baby red-skinned potatoes
1/4 cup pesto, homemade or store-bought
2-3 Tbsp mayonnaise, homemade or store-bought
Fresh black pepper, to taste

Directions

Place the potatoes in a 4-quart pot, and cover by 1 inch with cold water.

Bring the water to boil over high heat; then, reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Drain, leaving the potatoes in the pot, and set them sit, covered, in the pot on the stove for 10 minutes.

While the potatoes are resting, in a large mixing bowl combine the pesto and mayonnaise. Taste, and add black pepper if you wish.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into chunks and add them immediately to the pesto mixture. While the potatoes are warm, they will begin to absorb some of the pesto. Continue until all of the potatoes are in the bowl, and stir several times to make sure all of the pieces are coated with the pesto. Let sit until cool enough to refrigerate.

The potato salad can be refrigerated for up to a day or two, in an airtight container. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More potato salad variations:
French potato salad, from The Perfect Pantry
Hawaiian sweet potato salad, from The Perfect Pantry
Southern smashed potato salad, from The Kitchn
Texas-style new potato salad, from She Wears Many Hats
Chunky Stetson potato salad, from Foodiecrush

Pesto potato salad {vegetarian, gluten-free}

From the pantry, you'll need: mayonnaise, fresh black pepper.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients

24 oz baby red-skinned potatoes
1/4 cup pesto, homemade or store-bought
2-3 Tbsp mayonnaise, homemade or store-bought
Fresh black pepper, to taste

Directions

Place the potatoes in a 4-quart pot, and cover by 1 inch with cold water.

Bring the water to boil over high heat; then, reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Drain, leaving the potatoes in the pot, and set them sit, covered, in the pot on the stove for 10 minutes.

While the potatoes are resting, in a large mixing bowl combine the pesto and mayonnaise. Taste, and add black pepper if you wish.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into chunks and add them immediately to the pesto mixture. While the potatoes are warm, they will begin to absorb some of the pesto. Continue until all of the potatoes are in the bowl, and stir several times to make sure all of the pieces are coated with the pesto. Let sit until cool enough to refrigerate.

The potato salad can be refrigerated for up to a day or two, in an airtight container. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More potato salad variations:
French potato salad, from The Perfect Pantry
Hawaiian sweet potato salad, from The Perfect Pantry
Southern smashed potato salad, from The Kitchn
Texas-style new potato salad, from She Wears Many Hats
Chunky Stetson potato salad, from Foodiecrush

Comments

This sounds like a delicious idea! And even though I made my own pesto and froze it as usual this year, I always have a jar of Costco pesto in the fridge.

Kalyn, as the holidays approach, it's nice to have a couple of easy side dishes in mind. This is one of my go-to sides.