Grilled Potato Chickpea Salad with Green Goddess

Grilled potato chickpea salad is a super green salad with radishes, boiled eggs, mixed greens, chickpeas and goat cheese all tossed with a basil-walnut, green goddess dressing.

Friends! This is my first post after the big move. It feels good and it feels sad. I am going through a bit of a grieving process after leaving Toronto. The farmer’s markets all over Michigan are helping, but it is harder than I thought it would be to uproot our life. I feel like I am going to lose my Toronto-ness and all the ways Toronto rubbed off on me and shaped me. But at the same time, the support of having a whole heap of family and close friends nearby has meant it is much easier for Jazz and I to get a night away. Something we did very little our 3 years in Toronto.

It has also been a big adjustment to get used to a new space with different light. I am not sure yet where in our house yields the best light and at what time (there are just so many more options!!!). Nevertheless, I am pressing forward, being consistent with the practice of photography every day.

Thanks to everyone who stuck around and followed along during a pretty chaotic period in my personal life. It means the world and I am very blessed to have you around.

WHAT’S IN SEASON THIS WEEK | JULY 19-25

Last week I took a break from the “What to do with Your CSA Farm Share” series with a little strawberry goat cheese crumble but this week we are back at it.

Now that we’re located in Michigan I will finally get a chance to get out to visit my friends at Plainsong Farm . Some gorgeous produce has been coming from their fields and I am so excited to see what veggies are on their way. Also I get to run around with their frolicking chickens. As far as produce, you’ll start seeing some more traditional summer veggies popping out this week.

Head lettuce *
Radishes*
Basil*
Potatoes *
Fresh Garlic*
Cilantro
Cucumbers
Summer squashes
Early summer tomatoes
Green beans
Snow and snap peas
Kohlrabi
Blueberries
Strawberries

The asterisked items are featured in this recipe .

Grilled Potato Chickpea Salad

I have been sharing tons of salad recipes lately because that is all I want to eat. I know, how selfish. There’ll be more variety in the future. But for now, I want to obsess over this grilled potato chickpea salad. Far from being some side dish at a barbecue, it is tossed with tons of farm fresh veggies, boiled eggs, goat cheese and greens. As a matter of fact, my whole family ate this for dinner, solo. It has everything you need for a balanced meal. The basil packed, lemony, green goddess dressing adds so much flavor and creaminess without any mayo. I guarantee you’ll never miss it. The large heap of crunchy, piquant radishes balances the tender, buttery texture of the grilled potatoes.

Yep, you heard that right. I grilled them potatoes. Start to finish it took 28 minutes with zero boiling or turning on the oven involved. Cuz in these dog days of summer adding any heat to your home with an oven or pot of boiling water is a mortal sin. And yet, they were moist, tender, and roast-y just like an oven roasted potato.

You’re welcome.

Grilling Potatoes:

Grilling potatoes took some thought. You can’t just throw raw chunks of potatoes on a hot grill and hope for the best. They will char and dry out. Wrapping them in tin foil will cause them to steam. They will be extra moist but will fall apart making them inapt to eating in a salad. This grilled potato chickpea salad needs firm, roast-y potatoes.

Instead, I decided to think of the grill as if it were an oven. I heated one side of the grill on high and the other side as low as it could go. Once the grill was preheated to 400 F/200 C, I placed the oiled and seasoned halved potatoes (or quartered depending on the size) onto the low side of the grill, skin side down, and closed the lid and kept it closed for 20 minutes. Once tender and golden, I flipped the potatoes and let them heat through another 8 minutes. And honestly, they were just like oven roasted potatoes. Win!

Basil Green Goddess:

Green goddess is typically made with parsley, tarragon and chives. But my mom had a bush of fresh basil that needed to be harvested. In attempts to not just make basil pesto I used dijon, soy sauce, and lots of lemon to give it that green goddess earthiness. In place of lots of oil I used raw walnuts to beef up the mouth feel of the dressing while only adding a small amount of extra virgin olive oil. I also used fresh garlic. Fresh garlic is young, uncured garlic. Mature garlic is hung and dried out to give that super pungent, papery skinned bulb. Fresh garlic is very mild compared to it’s mature sister. The result is a bright dressing with a mild garlic note that is full of body, texture, and flavor.

Healthy Summer Dinner

This grilled potato chickpea salad was so perfect for eating on the back patio on a hot summer evening. Even my 4 year old, my picky brother, and my particular mother scarfed this down no problem-o.

Plus you can feel good knowing the majority of this potato salad is comprised of fresh vegetables. Eggs, chickpeas, and goat cheese for protein, radishes and mixed greens for fiber and vitamins, potassium and vitamin C in those new potatoes, and a whole lotta yum in that green goddess.

When you make this grilled potato chickpea salad, let me know! I absolutely love seeing your photos of POP KITCHEN recipes up on Instagram. Use the hashtag #popkitchen when you post photos of recipes you’ve made to your Instagram and tag @pop_kitch. I’ll share my favorite photos on POP KITCHEN’s account.

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Recipe

Grilled Potato Chickpea Salad with Green Goddess

Ingredients

2 lbs/.9 kg new potatoes cut in half (large ones quartered)
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
¾ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 cup packed fresh basil
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari
1½ tsp lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
2 Tbsp lemon juice (about half a lemon)
¼ cup raw or natural walnuts
¼ cup plain yogurt or sour cream
¼ tsp sea salt
5 large radishes cut into eights
3 hard boiled eggs cut into eights
1 14 oz/414 mL can chickpeas
2 oz/56 g crumbled goat cheese
2-3 handfuls of lettuce or mixed greens like spinach, arugula or spring mix

Instructions

EGGS: If you don’t already have some hard boiled eggs around, start by making your eggs first. Put a large pot full of cold water, a teaspoon of salt and the eggs on the stove. Heat on high until it comes to a boil. Reduce the heat down to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Drain the hot water from the pan and add lots of ice and cold water to the eggs to stop them from cooking.
POTATOES: To grill your potatoes, preheat the grill with one side on high and the other side on low until it reaches 400 F/200C. If you are using charcoal, place all the bricks on one side. Toss the ingredients for the potatoes in a bowl and place the potatoes on the low side of the grill, skin side down. Close the lid and let them cook for 20 minutes. Flip over the potatoes and let them cook another 5-10 minutes or until the insides are tender and the outside are nice and golden brown. If you find your potatoes are burning, turn down the high side of the grill to medium.
BASIL GREEN GODDESS: In a food processor or blender combine all the ingredients for the dressing. Puree until all the basil is infused and you have a green, creamy dressing. It should be relatively thick but will toss nicely with the vegetables.
PUT IT ALL TOGETHER: In a large salad bowl place the chickpeas, grilled potatoes, eggs, radishes, goat cheese and dressing together and toss until everything is evenly coated. Divide amongst 4 salad bowls or serve as a side with any meal.