Roasted Potato Salad with Poblano Mayo

Last year over Memorial Day weekend, Tim and I moved into our new apartment together!  This year, we decided to commemorate the occasion with the first meal we cooked when we moved in: cheeseburgers and potato salad.  Doesn't hurt that it's also perfect Memorial Day food.  I made the potato salad and Tim cooked up the burgers for a delicious meal.

This potato salad is a fun twist on the classic.  It actually involves making your own mayonnaise, which I don't think I've ever done before - it was way easier than I anticipated!  Instead of being boiled, the potatoes are roasted alongside poblano chiles, garlic, and green onions.  This makes them super creamy on the inside and a little crispy on the outside.  Then, one of the poblanos is whizzed up with roasted garlic, egg yolk, vinegar, and oil to make a creamy mayo for tossing with the potatoes.  I loved the flavor of the mayo - just a tad spicy with great flavor from the chiles.  Definitely a recipe I'll be making again!

Word of warning: the mayonnaise recipe makes about twice as much as you need for the potatoes, I'm assuming because it's a pain to try and split one egg yolk.  You could try making a half recipe, or just save the extras in the fridge for smearing on sandwiches.  Because this mayo has raw egg in it, this is definitely a potato salad that cannot sit out at a picnic or barbecue for long, so just be aware of that.

Roasted Potato Salad with Poblano Mayo (adapted from Fiesta at Rick's, via Serious Eats)
Serves 4

1-1/2 pounds small new potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
2 large poblano chiles
4 garlic cloves, peeled
4 green onions, roots and any wilted leaves removed, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil or olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a large baking sheet with foil.  Toss the potatoes with oil, salt, and pepper, and arrange on one side of the roasting pan (they'll take up about 2/3 of the space).  Roast 10 minutes.
2. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and toss the potatoes.  Toss the poblanos and garlic with oil, and add to the empty side of the baking sheet.  Scatter the green onions over the potatoes.  Return the baking sheet to the oven, and roast for another 10 minutes.
3. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and toss the potatoes again.  Flip the poblanos and garlic over.  Return the baking sheet to the oven, and cook for another 10 minutes.
4. Place the poblanos in a bowl and cover with foil.  Let everything cool for about 20 minutes.
5. Peel the skin off the poblanos, and discard the stems and seeds.  Chop up the peppers into bite-sized chunks.  Place half the poblanos in the a blender and add the roasted garlic, egg yolk, vinegar, and 1/2 tsp kosher salt.  Blend until smooth.  While the blender is running, steam in the oil slowly and continue to blend until a thick, smooth mayonnaise forms.
6. Combine the potatoes, green onions, and remaining roasted poblanos in a medium bowl.  Add about half of the mayonnaise and stir to combine.  Taste and adjust for seasoning.  Serve at room temperature, or chill and serve cold.

A delicious Memorial Day feast in honor of our first meal in our new apartment last year!  Cheeseburgers, potato salad, and peas from our CSA.