I had some potatoes and green beans from the farmer’s market that were in need of attention, so I looked up “green bean potato recipe” on Google, and this was the first thing that came up. And boy am I glad it did! This simple warm salad is beguilingly fresh, rich, unctuous, and just impossible to stop eating. The recipe here is adapted from the French Potato and Green Bean Salad recipe by David Tanis in NYT Cooking, with a number of changes, deletions, and substitutions.
French Potato and Green Bean Salad
Serves: 2
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes
1/2 shallot, minced finely
1 tsp capers, chopped
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 pound green beans, ends trimmed
2 eggs
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
Fishwife tinned smoked salmon (optional)
Bring large pot of water to a boil. Salt well. Add potatoes, skins and all, and cook until they are firm but a knife pushes through easily, about 30 minutes. Remove from water with a skimmer and allow to cool.
While potatoes cook, make the vinaigrette. In a mason jar, add shallots, capers, mustard and vinegar. Add half of the olive oil, close jar and shake vigorously. Add the rest of the olive oil, close jar and shake vigorously. Add salt and pepper, add a little more vinegar if it needs it—let your tastebuds be the judge of when the vinaigrette is ready.
After potatoes cool enough, remove skins with a paring knife and cut potatoes into 1/4 in thick slices. Place slices in a salad serving bowl, coat with a good layer of vinaigrette (about half the jar’s worth). Toss gently with your hands to coat the potatoes. Set aside.
Put the beans in the same boiling water as the potatoes cooked in. Simmer until cooked but still full of life, about 4-5 minutes, depending on how mature the beans are. Remove from water with a skimmer and cool under cold water. Allow to drain.
Put the eggs in the same boiling water as the beans cooked in. Turn heat down to medium and simmer eggs for 8-9 minutes, depending on how jammy you prefer the yolks to be. Cool eggs in ice water, then peel. Cut each egg in half.
To serve, place beans in salad bowl with the potatoes. Coat with the rest of the vinaigrette. If you are adding the tinned smoked salmon, break up salmon into little chunks with a fork and add to the bowl. Gently toss everything with your hands. Sprinkle with parsley, then put eggs on top. Eat it all!