Feta and spring onion potato salad
Summer is almost upon us here in the northern hemisphere, and the promise of lazy meals and BBQs outside is tantalisingly close. Here in the UK we’ve been given an extra bank holiday this year to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, so many of us will be kicking back and, weather permitting, enjoying some tasty food and drink outside with friends! In my opinion, no barbecue is complete without a decent range of side dishes and salads, and growing up as a vegetarian it was often the only part of the meal that I could eat unless I was lucky enough that a few veggie burgers were thrown onto the grill. This feta and spring onion potato salad fits the bill perfectly as a BBQ side, or as an accompaniment to a light summery quiche - it’s fairly quick and unfussy and adds a bit of cool freshness on a hot day.
To make the potato salad, you’ll want to start a bit ahead of time from when you plan to serve as the potatoes need sufficient time to cool before going in the fridge - at a minimum you’ll want to leave two hours between boiling the potatoes and eating them, but the earlier in the day you can start the better so that the flavours have more time to “get to know each other”. I chop my potatoes into quite generous chunks, quartering all but the largest new potatoes which get cut into six, and I also keep the skins on for less waste, less effort and more flavour (peeling a tiny new potato is a fiddly task that just isn’t necessary on a hot day).
The rest of the ingredients veer slightly away from a more traditional potato salad, swapping the usual mayonnaise for a dollop of Greek yoghurt. The resulting salad is therefore less rich, but still full of flavour with the addition of tangy spring onions, creamy feta and zingy lemon. If you don’t have any Greek yoghurt to hand, I’ve also tried this recipe with some crème fraîche which works well too. Once the potatoes are cool, it’s just a case of mixing in the rest of the ingredients and leaving them to mingle in the fridge for at least 30 minutes - it’s that simple! This recipe can easily be multiplied for a larger crowd, and keeps well in the fridge in an airtight container for a couple of days if you want to make it in advance or have any leftovers. Feel free to let me know in the comments if you make it - I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Feta and spring onion potato salad
Serves: 4-6 | Total time: 40 mins + min. 1hr cooling/30 mins chilling time | Source: vicki cooks veggie
Ingredients
500g (1lb 2oz) new potatoes, quartered
50g (2oz) Greek yoghurt
2 spring onions
40g (1.5oz) feta cheese
Small handful chopped parsley
2 tsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Method
Wash your new potatoes and chop them into quarters - you don’t need to peel them.
Add the chopped potatoes to a large pan, cover with cold water and add a generous pinch of salt. Bring to the boil with the lid on the saucepan, then simmer for 10 minutes until the potatoes start to soften. Drain away the water then leave the potatoes to cool to room temperature in the pan - allow at least an hour for this.
While the potatoes are cooling, chop up a small handful of parsley and slice your spring onions into 1cm rounds.
Once the potatoes are cold, add them to a large bowl with 50g (2oz) Greek yoghurt, the chopped spring onions, 40g (1.5oz) crumbled feta cheese, the chopped parsley and 2 tsp lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
Cover the dish, then leave to chill in the fridge until it’s time to serve - I’d recommend at least 30 minutes.
Serve as a side at a BBQ, or as a summery side to a quiche and some fresh salad.