The Humble Potato Isn’t Always So Humble

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Sometimes it can be anything but humble and anything but just the boring spud.
Normally, on holidays like the 4th of July, I make the typical American standby of potato salad made with mayo, pickle relish and other things. I love it and I will post the recipe for my version at some point this Summer but today I just felt like doing something different. I thought of loaded baked potato salad and then decided not to. I thought of plain mashed potatoes and then thought that to me, they are meant to be a Thanksgiving or Christmas tater side dish. Potato pancakes… nope, need a pork roast and sauerkraut. Can’t make much in the way of dessert from them and they don’t magically turn into Cheetos or Twinkies; mores the pity :-D.

So I played. At first bite, this was so different than what I usually make and I am such a creature of routine and such a traditionalist that I was disappointed. Until I took another bite. And another. And then I needed to stop because otherwise there was going to be nothing left to feed my husband and kids. And while I knew I could open boxed mac and cheese and they’d be ecstatic, I couldn’t bring myself to do that. So I shared. Cause I’m cool like that. I feed my family 😛 Sometimes anyway.

Truthfully though, this turned out quite good. The mix of the potatoes, dressing, tomatoes and onions was yummy. I had planned this to be a warm salad but my husband, who has to have his food hot enough to blister his tongue, said it was even better hot and I thought it was good both warm and cold. So take your pick. It works at all temps 🙂 This is supremely simple yet so good for the lack of time and effort you put into it.

Honey Dijon Roasted Potato Salad

  • 2 to 2 1/2 pounds Idaho Russet potatoes (about 7 medium potatoes), cubed into bite sized pieces
  • 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 large tomatoes, seeded and cut into bite sized chunks
  • 3 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 to 2/3 cup Honey Dijon vinaigrette depending on how saucy you like your potatoes. I used half a cup and that was fine. (you can use home made or store bought dressing. Just use your favorite. I used Kraft but I am also going to try making  it with home made)
  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil. I used the non stick foil because beyond the no sticking which roasted potatoes seem to like to do, I have found that potatoes brown better when you use this foil as opposed to regular foil.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, onion powder, garlic powder and oil. Toss well to coat.
  3. Scoop out onto the baking sheet and level them as close as possible into one layer.
  4. Bake at 375 until they are tender and nicely browning, making sure to turn them once or twice so all sides can get browned well. This took about 45 minutes for me.
  5. Combine the potatoes, tomatoes and dressing in a large bowl. Again; toss well to coat. Pour into a serving dish and EAT! Like I said above, this can be served at room temp, heated up or from the fridge. It was liked all ways.


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41 thoughts on “The Humble Potato Isn’t Always So Humble”

  5. It looks amazing, and I think honey dijon would be wonderful on potatoes. I think you did the right thing, veering from your standard potato salad. Sometimes we need a change!

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    • I love the traditional too… maybe too much lol. Which is one reason I decided to make something a bit lighter

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  11. People say I’m a potato salad fanatic! They just may be right… 🙂 This sounds fabulous! It’s on my ever-expanding list of must-tries. Thanks!

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    • Hi Nancy 🙂

      I’m really not sure what to suggest as a suitable sub. You could use Italian dressing and I am sure it will make a good potato salad but it will also make the entire recipe different from this one so I’m not sure at all how it would taste as the main flavor in this is the Honey Dijon. But if you try it with a different dressing, please let me know how it turns out 🙂

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      • Thanks for your response. I’ll see what I can find & let you know. I agree that Italian would totally change it, but I’m sure there’s something that would still give the sweet-tangy flavor without the mustard…maybe a poppy seed?

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        • I am making this today, for the 4th. I made 2 changes…I added 1 teaspoon dry Mustard powder to the onion & garlic powder w/ the oil. And I’m using a sweet & sour Poppy Seed dressing from Olde Cape Cod brand in place of the Honey Dijon vinaigrette. It’s more creamy than a vinaigrette is, but I think I’ll get the sweet & tangy flavor without the strong mustard flavor that I don’t care for…I’ll let you know how it goes over after the festivities!

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