Balsamic Potato and Corn Salad

By deedavis

Summer is fading into memory. But, I continue to crave summer salads. So bear with me and my thoughts will turn to pot roasts and chicken spaghetti soon enough.

Up until yesterday, I still had a big pile of Vermont red potatoes from my husband’s trip to the Northeast. I will not be letting one of the succulent little orbs go unused and this recipe that I clipped earlier this summer popped into my head. And, much to my joy, sweet yellow corn is still in the store in ample supplies. This potato salad is extremely easy and a refreshing alternative to the heavy, mayonnaise based picnic fair. And it is fantastic at room temperature or cold. You will want to give this one a try.

Ingredients

• 1 pound sliced red potatoes (or yellow)
• 3 fresh ears of corn (2 ears or a cup frozen corn, thawed…please try fresh if you can, though)
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in halves or quarters (4 Roma)
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon chopped shallot (or red onion)
• 1/2 teaspoon whole grain Dijon mustard (or regular Dijon)
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 cup or more crumbled feta cheese

Preparation

Step 1

Bring a large pot of water to boil on the stove and season it with salt. Shuck the corn and remove the silk. Boil the ears of corn for about 4 to 5 minutes. You want it to retain its crispness so don’t let it go longer than that. Remove the corn to a plate to cool. Slice the potatoes and add them to the pot of boiling water. Gently boil the potatoes until they are just tender. You do not want them falling apart, so test them at about 4 minutes. Drain the potatoes in a colander and rinse them with cool water.

Meanwhile put the olive oil, vinegar, shallot, mustard, and sugar in a lidded jar and shake it to combine.

When the corn is cool enough to handle, slice the corn off of the cob. If you hold the cob vertically and slice down with a very sharp knife in a diagonal fashion, the corn will just peel away from the cob in these attractive chunks. To the extent possible leave them in these clusters, as they look really pretty this way in the salad. Allow the potatoes and corn to cool completely to room temperature or put them in the refrigerator to cool until you are ready to serve.

You can plate the salads individually with potatoes, corn, some dressing, tomatoes, feta, and then the torn basil, or you can combine the potatoes, corn, tomatoes and dressing in a large bowl and serve it with the feta and basil scattered on top. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy.