green bean and fingerling potato salad (gf, df option)
Green Bean and Fingerling Potato Salad – Crisp-tender green beans and salty roasted potatoes with caramelized onions. Heaven on a plate.
I love healthy food, but when I hear the word “salad” I often picture limp leaves of pre-packaged iceberg lettuce. Salad can be so much more! I love having a big salad for dinner, whether or not lettuce is involved.
This is a great salad that can be served warm, cold, or room temperature. It can be used as a main dish or as a companion to your favorite meaty main.
This salad felt pretty fancy-pants in that it’s got French inspiration. I loved the roasted potatoes, the sweetness of the onion, and the great freshness of the green beans. And the honey-mustard vinaigrette is beyond delicious. Top things off with a little bacon and cheese, and well… heaven.
Confession: Michael hates feta cheese. And bleu cheese. H-A-T-E-S them. I like them in moderation. Still, if I wanted Michael to eat this salad, I knew that feta or bleu cheeses were no-gos. So I went with cotija cheese. Cotija is a Mexican-style fresh cheese that tastes salty and a bit like parmesan. It went beautifully with this salad (even though it’s not very French) and had great texture. If you like feta or bleu, you can choose those, for sure. All would go well with this salad.
Green Bean and Fingerling Potato Salad
- Yield: Serves 4 as main dish, 6 as a side 1x
Ingredients
- 1 1/2lbs. fingerling potatoes (halve any large ones)
- 1 small red onion, sliced thickly
- 3–4 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut
- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard*
- 2–3 Tbsp honey
- 1/4c cider vinegar
- salt and pepper
- 4–6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled*
- about 1/2c cojita, feta, or bleu cheese, crumbled (optional)
Instructions
- Toss potatoes and red onion with olive oil. Spread over a baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn potatoes and cook 10-15 minutes more, until skins are wrinkly and lightly browned.
- While potatoes and onions are roasting, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add green beans. Cook until green beans are desired tenderness, 3-7 minutes. Drain.
- In a small bowl, combine mustard, honey, vinegar, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Taste and add more honey, salt, or pepper as necessary.
- Toss roasted potatoes, onions and any remaining juices into a large bowl. Add green beans and vinaigrette and toss to coat. Garnish with bacon and cheese. Serve warm, cold, or room temperature.
Notes
* Be sure your dijon and bacon are gluten free. I like Organicville dijon and Hormel Natural or Applegate uncured bacon.
This looks awesome and sounds so intriguing!
This looks so wonderful! I love experimenting with various salads–I feel the exact same way about iceberg lettuce. There are so many other delicious vegetables out there. Love the addition of bacon! Thanks 🙂