Spring has finally sprung! The sun is out and it feels light and bright and optimistic again after a very long hibernation. I have painted my fingernails a vibrant coral, my flat is awash with the heady scent of fresh hyacinths and I have spotted not one, not two but three women sporting mint green trousers…Spring also means a whole bounty of juicy produce at our fingertips – asparagus and rhubarb (although not eaten together!) are two I am particularly looking forward to…

We had steak last night and, to celebrate the arrival of the warmer weather, I wanted to make a side salad for the meat instead of something hot and wintry. This turned out to be a true Sunday or midweek dish as I found all the ingredients already in the fridge – It is slightly wacky as I used mint sauce instead of fresh mint (you could call it cheating but I call it creative…) but it actually really worked – fresh and crunchy and zingy – so I thought I would share!

It has more veggies in it than a traditional potato salad so it’s a great way of cramming in some of your five a day and it’s quick and easy to rustle up. Perfect as a bright accompaniment to steak or lamb chops – come summer, be daring and bring it along to a BBQ (there’s invariably too much meat anyway).

Oh, and if you are lucky enough to have some fresh mint leaves lying around and they’re not earmarked for Pimm’s, by all means chuck them in too!

Minted potato salad with cucumber & feta

Serves 4 as a side dish

Ingredients:

For the salad:

– 650g new potatoes, scrubbed
– 2 stalks celery, chopped
– 1/2 cucumber, cut into cubes
– 1/2 red onion, finely sliced
– 70g feta, crumbled
– generous handful baby spinach / lettuce leaves, torn

For the dressing:

– 3 tablespoons olive oil
– 2 teaspoons mint sauce
– 1/2 teaspoon sherry vinegar
– 1 teaspoon lemon juice
– small handful fresh basil leaves (about 12 leaves), chopped
– small handful fresh parsley (about 10 stalks with leaves), chopped
– seasoning

Method:

Halve the potatoes (if necessary) and boil in salted water for about 10 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside to cool.

While the potatoes are cooking, mix together the ingredients for the dressing.

Pour over the potatoes and fold in the rest of the ingredients. Check the seasoning before serving!

Spring is finally here!

Source: Recipe and photos by pip & little blue.