Purple Potato Salad with Fresh Mustard and Fennel

You can't miss a purple potato. When searching for your favorite spuds at the farmers' market, you'll find them nestled amidst the boxes of creamers, fingerlings and butterballs, standing out like irregular prehistoric stones. Their bold and other worldly color is deceiving, as their flesh is remarkably mild and creamy in flavor. Unlike purple beans, which change to green when cooked, these purple beauties remain blueish-purple through and through. So embrace the color and jazz them up with equally brilliant colors and textures in a vibrant salad such as this Purple Potato Salad with Mustard and Fennel.


Purple Potato Salad with Fresh Mustard and Fennel

 

The warm potatoes will wilt the mustard leaves just enough to tame their pepperiness, while releasing the anise aroma of the fennel fronds. The yellow mustard flowers add stunning color.

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds purple potatoes*
  • Salt
  • 2 cups spiky mustard leaves, torn into bite-size pieces
  • 1 cup thinly sliced fennel fronds with leaves
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup fresh mustard flowers

Steps

  1. Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover with 2 inches of cold water.
  2. Add 2 teaspoons salt and bring to a boil. Simmer until the potatoes are tender but not mushy.
  3. Drain and cool slightly.
  4. Cut any large potatoes into bite-sized chunks.
  5. Place in a large bowl.
  6. Add all of the remaining ingredients except the mustard flowers.
  7. Toss and taste for seasoning and add more salt to taste.
  8. Before serving scatter the mustard flowers over the potatoes.
  9. Serve warm or at room temperature.

*You can purchase locally grown purple potatoes from The Little Organic Farm at the Marin Civic Center Farmers Market on Sundays from 8 a.m.-1 p.m.