Potatoes with Herbs, Spinach & Lemon

I’m always on the look-out for no-mayo potato salads or sides. If you read my recent Southwestern Potato Salad post, you’ll know why. I found this recipe on one of my favorite cooking blogs, The Kitchn. As is usually the case with their recipes, it was delicious.

My herb garden, a row of pots, doesn’t include parsley or dill this year, so I’m not using the original name of this recipe: Herb Garden Potatoes. I suppose you could use any combination of herbs, but I really loved the fresh bright taste of parsley and dill with the spinach and lemon. I imagine that tarragon, basil, thyme, lemon thyme or marjoram would work too.

Warm and humid North Carolina is so much better for herbs than Sacramento. Because of Sacramento’s hot and dry climate, I had to water my herbs every day, and that didn’t always happen. So I gave up on herb gardening and bought them instead at the farmers market.

This year we have basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary and mint in pots on our deck – the only place on an acre of land that gets enough sun. Next to the deck we (well, Jim) planted a few grape tomato plants that don’t look so good but give us a handful of tomatoes every few days. We also have two small eggplants and several banana pepper plants in pots. I wish we had other pepper plants because the banana peppers don’t have a whole lot of flavor or heat. Next year, serrano and jalapeno!

Back to potatoes… I made this as a side for Coconut Citrus Tilapia. I loved how the lemon and green herbs complemented the sweet coconut citrus fish. It’s a perfect summer potato dish. Play with the herbs and serve it either warm off the stove, at room temperature or chilled.

Little bit of leftovers - I added extra spinach so it's really green

Potatoes with Herbs, Spinach & Lemon

Serves 4 to 6. You’ll need a large pot with lid, large bowl, whisk and small bowl.

• Salt
• 2 pounds red skin, new or Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into large bite-size chunks
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 5 ounces baby spinach, leaves only, sliced into thin ribbons
• 2/3 cup flat-leaf parsley, leaves only, loosely packed, minced
• 2/3 cup fresh dill, fronds only, loosely packed, minced
• 3 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
• Freshly ground black pepper

Boil a pot of generously salted water. Add the potatoes and cook for 15 minutes, or until they are tender. Transfer to a large bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, zest, olive oil and sugar. Whisk until well-combined — it will be thick and opaque yellow. Pour over the hot potatoes and stir gently until the potatoes are coated with dressing.

Add the spinach, parsley, dill and shallots to the potatoes, toss gently. The spinach and herbs will wilt in the potato heat. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot, warm or cold.

Original recipe: Herb Garden Potatoes with Fresh Spinach & Lemon, The Kitchn