On a recent sunny afternoon at the Farmer’s Market, I spied some particularly robust peas begging to be snatched up and highlighted in a fresh, summery dish. During the same outing, I also saw a mound of new potatoes (aka, baby red potatoes) and I thought the two P’s should meet.
I had never actually shelled peas before; its so easy, and I was delighted to see how adorable the peas looked in their (now former) home. Their canned counter part gives them such a bad rap. The recipe below includes thyme and you can easily substitute dill or chives. Fresh thyme reminds me of a summer day I spent in Paris, it’s one of my favorite herbs. I can imagine enjoying this dish in a sidewalk cafe, reveling in all it’s refreshing flavors.
New Potato and Fresh Pea Salad with Thyme
Ingredients:
– 1 1/2 lbs New Potatoes (also called Baby Red Potatoes), quartered
– 1/2 lbs Fresh Peas, shelled
– Juice of one lemon
– 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
– 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
– 4 tablespoons olive oil
– 1/4 red onion, small dice
– 3 tablespoons thyme, mas o menos, minced
– salt and pepper to taste
1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the potatoes (quartered). Boil for about 15 minutes, until a fork stuck in the potato comes out easily. In the last three minutes of cooking, toss in the peas. Drain the potatoes and peas.
2. For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and dijon mustard. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking. (This is the trick to get any dressing to emulsify–a slow drizzle of oil and a steady whip of the whisk. Also, the dijon helps to keep it all together.) Add in the thyme, red onion and salt and pepper (liberally).
3. Toss the dressing with the potatoes and peas. You can enjoy it right away or optimally, you can let it marinate for an hour or more.
Enjoy xo 
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