Orange and White Potato Salad
It’s funny how recipe ideas can sneak up on you. This one happened because I’ve been reading so many Middle Eastern inspired cookbooks lately and making a commitment to use everything in my fridge before it turns to slime. I was looking at a partially full container of lebne (sometimes called labneh), half a raw potato, too many carrots, some cilantro and a beat up yam (in a drawer). I figured you might want to try a different kind of potato salad for your Fourth of July Grill fest. The combination of sweet yams with starchy white potatoes makes a satisfying yet not cloying combination. The green onions and cilantro perk up the starches. Lebne has a good hit of acid which complements the rich tahini. Use a bit more of the lebne if you want a well dressed mixed salad. But I especially liked the more considered layered look of the first photo. I smeared some of the dressing on the plate, spooned on the undressed salad then dolloped more dressing on. This would be especially appealing as a non-meat entree with a few chickpeas added to the mix.
Orange and White Potato Salad
Course: Salad, Vegetarian Entreé
Ingredients
Dressing
1/4 – 1/2 cup labneh or yogurt cheese depending on richness you want
1 to 2 tbsp tahini
For Salad
1 yam peeled
1 russet or yellow potato peeled
extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
1 yellow or red carrot peeled
1 orange carrot peeled
2 green onions trimmed and sliced including greens
Small handful chopped cilantro leaves
1 garlic clove peeled
1/2 red jalapeño thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions
For Salad
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut the sweet and white potatoes into large dice. In a small bowl toss with a drizzle of olive oil and salt to taste. Lay the potatoes out in a single layer on a parchment or aluminum lined baking sheet. Roast the potatoes just until lightly browned and tender but not so soft that they’ll lose their shape when mixed with other ingredients. Turn the potatoes half way through cooking.
3. Grate the carrots into a bowl. Add the green onions, cilantro and jalapeño, if using. Use a microplane to grate the garlic clove into the bowl. Add a pinch of salt and toss. Set aside and wait for potatoes to roast.
4. When potatoes are done let them cool a bit, then scrape off baking sheet into the bowl of grated carrot mixture. Lightly toss and correct seasoning if necessary.
For Dressing
1. Put the lebne and tahini in a small bowl. Stir together but don’t completely combine.
Assemble Salad
1. To assemble the salad you can either layer the dressing with the salad ingredients or you can mix the dressing in with the potato mixture.