Garlicky Two-Potato and Green Bean Salad with Tarragon Vinaigrette

Grilling an all-in-one side dish come summertime is a favorite activity at our house. I plan; I prep; Dave cooks. While you could still make this on the outdoor grill all in one fell swoop, I’ve made this particular recipe so it can be totally accomplished indoors if that’s your druthers. The potatoes cook briefly in a pot of boiling water (followed by the beans in the same bath) and then are grilled on a stove top grill pan. If you like, you can even cook the potatoes all the way through in the water, fish them out, cook the beans, and skip the grilling. This makes a big bowlful so that you can make it for one night and serve it with grilled chicken and maybe have it the next night with a can of salmon tossed in or just as it is for lunch. SERVES 4-6

Ingredients

¾ pound each: white and sweet potatoes-peeled, and cut into 2-inch pieces (I had two medium white potaoes and one very large sweet potato.)
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
Olive oil
¾ pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
¼ cup minced red onion
½ sweet bell pepper, yellow, orange, or red, cut into medium dice
2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon* (plus extra for garnish)
Tarragon Vinaigrette-see cook’s note for recipe
1 small tomato, diced—for garnish

Instructions

Add the potatoes to a 6-quart pot and pour in enough water to cover by two inches. Season with a teaspoon or two of salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat and let cook at a good simmer, not a rolling boil, for about 10 minutes or until the potatoes are nearly, but not totally tender. Meanwhile, heat a stove top grill pan over medium high heat.
Place a colander on top of a bowl (make sure it sits steadily) and carefully fish out the potatoes with a spider or slotted spoon into the colander to drain for 2 minutes. Shake the colander to remove excess water and dump the water from the bowl into the sink. Tip the potatoes into the now water-free bowl; drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Turn the flame up under the pot of water until it’s boiling and add the green beans. Cook until they are just barely done, which will depend on the age and size of the beans. Mine took about 5 or 6 minutes. Drain in a colander in the sink and pat dry with paper towels.
As the green beans cook, pour the potatoes out onto the hot grill pan and grill for 3 minutes or so or until dark grill marks appear. Using tongs, turn potatoes and let the other side brown, cooking until the potatoes are tender. Remove potatoes to a large mixing bowl.
Add the cooked green beans to the potatoes in the bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; stir carefully. Tip in the minced red onions, diced sweet peppers, and the minced tarragon; stir again. Drizzle with all but a tablespoon of the Tarragon Vinaigrette and toss gently until all of the vegetables are well-coated. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Turn salad out onto a platter or into a bowl and garnish with diced tomatoes and a little more minced tarragon. Drizzle the reserved tablespoon of vinaigrette evenly over all. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold. (If you’re making the salad ahead and storing it in the fridge, you’ll need to add extra olive oil and vinegar or more vinaigrette at serving time as the vegetables will have absorbed the vinaigrette.)
*If you have no fresh tarragon, you can substitute 1 tablespoon dry and, if available, two tablespoons of fresh parsley, minced.

Notes

Tarragon Vinaigrette:

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar (can sub balsamic)
• Pinch each salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper
• 1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, minced (can sub 1 teaspoon dried)

In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the garlic, the sherry vinegar, with the salt and peppers. Let rest a few minutes. Drizzle in the olive oil slowly, whisking all the while, until well-mixed and emulsified (thickened). Stir in fresh tarragon. Taste and adjust seasonings.

If you’d like, you can make the vinaigrette a day ahead and store it in the fridge overnight, letting it come to room temperature and adding the tarragon just before using.