A potato salad even Mindy will love

My friend Mindy doesn’t eat mayo.

That no-mayo-eating thing also includes all things made from mayo, like chicken salad and potato salad. According to Mindy, potato salad—at least the traditional American style—has two strikes against it since she doesn’t eat mustard either. While I’m a little sad she’ll never experience the joy of a nice German brown mustard on a sandwich, I do understand that condiments aren’t her thing.

But because of her hatred of mayo and mustard, finding a potato salad that she’ll eat has been an interesting journey. But this weekend, when I was basically just being creative in the kitchen, I came up with a recipe that may just work. (Mindy, without trying, I’ve created a potato salad recipe that’s a lot like Zoe’s!)

Here’s how it went down:

1. Wash and quarter or chop into bite-sized pieces 10-15 small red creamer potatoes. There’s no need to peel these potatoes. Just wash them very thoroughly.

2. Boil in salted water until tender. A fork should easily pierce the potatoes when they’re ready. The flesh should appear very white.

3. While the potatoes are boiling, whisk together the dressing by combining 1/4 cup lemon juice (for me it was the juice of two small lemons), 1/4-1/2 cup olive oil, 2 chopped green onions, 1/2 a clove of garlic finely chopped, 1 tsp of fresh rosemary (less if you’re using dried rosemary) finely chopped and salt and pepper to taste and a little lemon zest (about 1 tsp or less). Combine in a bowl and whisk briskly.

(OK, I’ll be honest. I didn’t take a picture of the actual dressing for the potato salad. This is a marinade I made for some chicken that involved many of the same ingredients. If you look closely, you’ll see there are no green onions in here. . . I didn’t want to confuse you! But the dressing will look very similar to this.)

4. When potatoes are boiled, drain using a colander.

5. While potatoes are still hot, transfer them to the bowl with the dressing in it and stir to combine potatoes and dressing.

6. Serve while warm or refrigerate and serve later. It’s good both ways. I ate mine with some baked chicken and a bit of asparagus. Yummy!

This potato salad is very light and fresh-tasting. The use of lemon instead of vinegar or mustard makes it seem very summery and really brings out the taste of the green onions. It’s tangy, but not overbearing and/or cloying like mayo potato salad can be. Tossing the hot potatoes with the dressing allows the onions and garlic in the dressing to warm and cook a little which combines for a very nice combination.

Ingredients: 1/4 cup lemon juice (for me it was the juice of two small lemons) 1/4-1/2 cup olive oil (depending on how many potatoes you are preparing) 2 chopped green onions 1/2 of a clove of garlic, finely chopped 1 tsp of fresh rosemary (less if you’re using dried rosemary), finely chopped salt and pepper to taste lemon zest (about 1 tsp or less) 10-15 red creamer potatoes, quartered or cubed with skin on

Time: 30-45 minutes and most of that is waiting for the potatoes to boil Level of difficulty: About as easy as you can get. The hardest part is chopping and whisking. Soundtrack: NCAA basketball on the TV in the next room