Red Wine Vinaigrette Potato Salad

I can't believe it is already mid January! I have only been back at school a week, so the Holidays felt nice and long for me. I had a wonderful time and I hope you all did as well. As per usual, I did lots of cooking and baking. I tried some new recipes, and some have become regulars. I also received some wonderful kitchen related gifts. I received a new crock pot from my Mom, which is nice and large. I have used it twice so far and have LOVED coming home to a nice hot stew after a long day. I also received a some cookbooks to add to my growing collection.

While looking for inspiration for the recipe I am sharing today, I realized how many amazing recipes are within these books, and the many others that I have. I need to start cooking from them more. In the past I liked to cook on a whim, but now that I am cooking for two, I prefer to cook from a recipe that is less likely to fail, and is easy for him to follow if the dish is a hit.

This recipe was inspired by a number of different things. The big bag of potatoes I bought last week that were starting to sprout put me on a mission to use up a bunch of them ASAP. Then, I was given some delicious homemade red wine vinegar from my Grandfather. It has such a distinct taste that I love so much and have had imprinted in my mind since my childhood. With fond memories of a vinaigrette potato salad my Aunt once made, a vinaigrette potato salad was born. Adding the parsley, peas, and green onion adds a different texture, adds flavour, and of course some green nutrition.

Red Wine Vinaigrette Potato Salad
Serves 6-8

8-10 small to medium potatoes (should have weighed this out as actual quantity may be variable)
3/4 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 1/2 cup cooked peas
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, grated
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp pepper, or to taste

1. Cut potatoes into quarters and boil until cooked but not too soft. Once cooked, drain, rinse with cold water, and chop into desired bite sized pieces.
2. Combine potatoes, green onion, parsley, and peas in a bowl.
3. Whisk together oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper into a bowl and pour over potato mixture. Stir to combine.

I served the salad at room temperature but is best served cold after marinating for a few hours. This salad could have used a touch more vinegar, and I may add a little bit of white vinegar into the mix next time. Keep in mind, I love vinegar, so this recipe is probably just fine for most people. The green onion and parsley combination have been a big player in my kitchen lately, after using them in a Sweet Potato Quinoa recipe from Quinoa Revolution. I think they will continue to make an appearance.