A TWIST ON ENSALADILLA RUSA

I have been looking for a go-to salad to keep in my fridge throughout the week and this one fits the bill. It's outrageously good!! My friend Vicki's mom is from Spain and would make a traditional Ensaladilla Rusa when Vicki and her brothers were growing up. In fact, it's still a family favorite. Ensaladilla Rusa is a classic potato salad served throughout Spain and Latin America, made with potatoes, carrots, peas, onion, and mayonnaise -- often times with hardboiled eggs and/or tuna fish.

While the traditional salad uses mayonnaise as a base for the dressing, Vicki's mom would switch it up and use olive oil and vinegar in the hotter months. I loved this idea. I also like hardboiled eggs (I don't love them) and tuna fish...well, not so much. I will eat it but it's not one of my favorites. So....I decided to modify the salad.

The brightness of the vegetables you see below, the brininess of the olives and capers, sourness of the gherkins, sweetness of the carrots, crunch of the the red bell pepper, beans and peas, and savoriness of the potatoes build the perfect bite. As such, this salad is a great base for any added protein you like (ideas include: pan-seared almond-crusted white fish (shown), grilled shrimp, skirt steak, chicken, hardboiled eggs, and yes, tuna fish).

I had hoped that this batch would last the week but it was gone before I knew it! Hope you like too.

A TWIST ON ENSALADILLA RUSA

Ingredients

1 lb small organic round potatoes (mostly red)

1-2 large carrots, diced

5 T shelled green peas (you can use frozen)

½ pound green beans

½ medium yellow onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

4 gherkins, chopped

2 T capers

1.5 – 2.0 oz olives stuffed with minced anchovy (use any olive you like)

a good handful of parsley, roughly chopped to garnish

Directions

• In a saucepan, boil potatoes and carrots for 10 minutes. Drain. Let cool and slice.

• Blanch green beans. Drain. Let cool and chop.

• Transfer potatoes, carrots, and green beans to a bowl.

• Add chopped onion, red bell pepper, gherkins, capers, and olives.

• Mix gently.

DRESSING

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil

¼ cup white distilled vinegar

juice and zest from 1 small lemon

1/2 tsp salt

¼ tsp freshly ground pepper

Directions

• In a separate bowl, mix together vinegar, lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper.

• Slowly whisk in olive oil

• Adjust for seasoning

* TIP: I like to double this recipe -- this dressing works well with all other greens throughout the week.

BUILD YOUR SALAD

• Combine salad and dressing.

• Garnish with parsley.

• Allow to combine for one hour before serving to bring all flavors together.

#recipes #snackssides