Ohhhhh goodness, Spring has sprung and I am reveling in the sunshine. I feel like my sun-starved body is alive once more. It’s like the first sip of cold water when you’re as thirsty as you’ve ever been. I love winter. Truly, I do. But there is something special about the first warm day. The birds coming out to sing. The budding trees. And bam… I’m craving anything made on a charcoal grill.
This past long weekend we walked through the city, went to see a band I’ve loved for years in a teeny tiny venue downtown, and saw live comedy for the first time. We went to watch the marathon on Monday and cheered for hours, trekking up and down the course to find new spots to spectate. We basked in the sun, rode our bikes, enjoyed the babble of littles in the park nearby.
Monday evening, intoxicated by the smell of grilling burgers and dogs along the marathon route and in back yards all over town, we invited my sister over for a cook-out. Or, as close as we can get to a cook-out with a cast iron on an indoor stove. Our first in our new place, we opened all the windows, took out our summer napkins, and got to cooking. Spicy chicken sausage, asparagus, and potato salad. And wowza, it was good. (Also, it turns my sis is a really a stunning food model, as evidenced by the photo above)
We’re a foodie household made up of one person who will eat anything and one person with 65 documented food allergies. No joke. We’re working with everything from anaphylaxis to nuts and peanuts to hives from mustard exposure. Random foods you’d never expect? You could put money on it… we’re probably lookin’ at an allergy. Food allergies deeply impact how our crew lives in and experiences the world, but we don’t let allergies keep us from making waves, experiencing the beautiful things in life, and trying all that is new… this includes the cook-outs of my childhood. We’ll dig into allergy-friendly, audacious, joyful, adventurous living soon. But for now… an allergy-friendly potato salad for YOUR next cook-out. It’s free from all the usual potato salad ingredients that are also major allergens – egg, mustard/mustard seed, pea protein, legumes, and more.
We’re here for the joys of warm weather, the bites that remind you of grass-stained knees and time with family. Welcome to a little taste of that joy. Try it if your heart desires! I recommend eating outside in the sun. Savor, bask, enjoy.
Sarah’s Oil and Vinegar Potato Salad
- Four large yellow potatoes, diced in 1 inch pieces and boiled until soft (or roasted with a splash of olive oil) and cooled
- One small red onion, diced small
- 1/3 Cup of good olive oil. The flavor comes through, make sure you enjoy it!
- 1/4 Cup of VIVO Lambrusco Vinegar. You can use red wine vinegar in a pinch… but why would you when VIVO exists?
- Zest of one lemon
- Juice of the cheek of one lemon
- One bunch of basil (or a clam-shell if your grocer sells only in that form), washed and chopped
- One large bunch of dill, chopped finely (you can use the stems!)
- 1 Clove of garlic, minces or crushed
- A few glugs of your favorite green hot sauce (I use Cholula)
- A big pinch of salt – sea if you’ve got it, flake if you’re fancy
- Cracked black pepper until your arms get tired
Mix everything but the potatoes together in a big bowl. Add potatoes and (cue Moira Rose voice) fold in gently. Serve and enjoy.
In full disclosure, I’d drink VIVO’s Lambrusco Vinegar. In fact, that is how I found it in the first place – at a farmers market, offered to me on a spoon. In places where your red wine vinegar has the chance to shine through, I’d swap it for VIVO. Salad dressings? Heck yes. On grilled sourdough with olive oil and flake salt? YES. Literally with some sparkling water? That too! You can find VIVO here or @tastevivo.
The Noshers Nest 
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