This January we are celebrating potatoes, a stalwart in the garden and the pantry. There are some records that suggest potatoes have been cultivated by humans for 10,000 years! Potatoes are also the first vegetable that was grown in space. We love to grow, learn about, and eat potatoes with students in their school gardens.
Potatoes aren’t always thought about as nutritious, but are actually a great source of vitamin C, vitamin B6, and potassium. They come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors, including fingerling, russet, purple, red, pink, and so on. Switch things up and try a new-to-you variety or color of potato!
In this gray time of year, we like to make this bright green potato salad and dream of spring.
Pea Pesto Potato Salad
Recipe by Gabrielle Sullo
1½ lb. potatoes, cut into chunks
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup green peas (fresh and blanched for 1 minute, or frozen and thawed)
1 cup fresh basil (or try parsley or arugula, if you can’t find basil at this time of year)
2½ Tbsp. nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 med. garlic clove, chopped
¼ tsp. fresh ground black pepper
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Place potatoes and ½ tsp. of kosher salt in a medium pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until fork-tender. Drain potatoes and set aside.
While potatoes are cooking, place the remainder of ingredients, except olive oil, in a food processor and pulse ingredients until everything is combined and evenly ground. With the machine running, slowly pour olive oil into the mixture and blend until smooth and creamy.
Combine the potatoes with the pesto in a serving dish, making sure all potatoes are coated in pesto. Salt if needed. Top with more nutritional yeast and fresh torn basil. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt. Enjoy!