Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Potato Salad with Fava Beans and Fennel

I made this potato salad a few weeks ago as part of my plan to pack more lunches for myself.  A nicely-sized portion makes a good lunch along with some yogurt or a piece of fruit, since the potatoes and fava beans are fairly filling.  If favas are out of season (or too much trouble), lima beans make a good substitute here.  My sister and grandma made the recipe using limas for a church potluck, and said the results were excellent.  The dressing of olive oil and lemon juice makes this recipe much lighter than the usual mayonnaise-based potato salad, and the fennel adds a perfect crunch. 



Potato Salad with Fava Beans and Fennel (adapted from the kitchn, original recipe here)
Serves 2

3/4 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 T olive oil
Zest of 1 Meyer lemon
Juice of 1/2 to 1 Meyer lemon (to taste)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound shelled fava beans (removed from outer skins)
1 generous cup very thinly sliced fennel
1 T finely chopped fennel fronds
2 T chopped chives

1. Cover the potatoes with water, add a generous pinch of salt, and then bring to a boil.  Simmer until the potatoes are cooked through.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest, and juice of 1/2 lemon.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and add more lemon juice as needed.
3. When the potatoes are cooked through, remove them from the water with a slotted spoon and toss with the lemon dressing while still hot.
4. Add the fava beans to the boiling water for 30-40 seconds.  Immediately run under cold water and then slip off the skins.  Taste, and boil a bit more if needed (this will depend on the size).
5. Add the fava beans, fennel, fennel fronds, and chives to the potatoes, and gently toss to combine.  Taste and add more salt, pepper, lemon juice, and/or oil as needed. Serve warm or chilled.

I'm sending this salad off to Kitchen Bootcamp: Salads.

4 comments:

  1. Looks like a great salad! I always love to try new potato salad recipes, and I love the addition of fennel. Thanks for submitting this for my Kitchen Bootcamp roundup this month!

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  2. what a wonderful potato salad, fava beans and fennel are a great addition, and a perfect light lemon dressing!
    thanks so much for sharing!

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  3. I've been coming around to fennel much more lately and love this salad! Definitely good for a take-to-work lunch.

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