Warm Potato and Sweet Potato Salad with Herb and Parmesan Dressing

Warm vegetable salads are an interesting alternative to the garden salad. Not quite hot vegetables and not a cold salad. I like to serve warm vegetable salads with barbecued meat, those that include potatoes are a little more filling and  usually very poular with the men and teenage boys. Sometimes I have it as a meal with a soft fried egg on top.

Generally, it is best to put the dressing on the hot vegetables as the the flavours of the dressing seem to be absorbed better. Once dressed, the salad can be left at room temperature until it is needed. For this salad the vegetables were baked in the oven and this is my preferred method. I have made it with steamed potatoes and toasted the nuts in a dry pan on the stove top - perhaps a better technique when the weather is very hot.

Dinner, warm salad, BBQ leg of lamb, sauteed mushroom and asparagus, steamed broccolini and a light sauce/jus.

The jus is made by reducing 1 litre of chicken stock, a cup of port and a fresh bayleaf or two until it is a third of the volume. The flavour is intensified and the consistency becomes quite thick and almost syrupy.

Warm Potato and Sweet Potato Salad

Herb and Parmesan Dressing

Salad 6 potatoes 1 sweet potato ½ cup walnut pieces

Dressing 2 tablespoons, chopped parsley 2 tablespoons chopped mint 1 clove garlic, crushed 4 tablespoons walnut oil 2 tablespoons sushi vinegar 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated Lots of freshly ground black pepper

Wash potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces and place on a tray.

Peel sweet potato, cut into bite sized pieces and place on a tray.

Bake at 180 deg until tender or and starting to colour. Approximately 30 minutes. Do not overcook.

Place walnuts on a tray and roast until slightly coloured.

Combine the ingredients for the dressing in a large bowl.

Add the hot potatoes and walnuts into the bowl of dressing, toss / stir, making sure the dressing coats the potatoes.