Warm Greek Potato Salad with Feta Cheese Pesto & Kalamata Olives
Few Greek recipes are as satisfying as a great, warm potato salad, and there are many different versions in the regional cooking of Greece. This one, a combination of Greek traditions and Mediterranean diet deliciousness, with a little Italian finesse worked in, is one of my personal favs. It’s gorgeous, for one, with both red and yellow potatoes. And it’s a paean to Greek-Italian friendship: a pesto made with feta and a potato salad garnished with one of the all-time classic Mediterranean diet ingredients: Kalamata olives. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 pound new potatoes preferably organic
- 1 pound small red potatoes preferably organic
- 3 large eggs hard boiled
- 12 Kalamata olives
- Sea salt to taste
For the Pesto
- 1 large bunch fresh basil leaves only
- 1 cup baby arugula
- ½ cup toasted pine nuts or blanched toasted almonds
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- ½ cup crumbled Greek feta or more, to taste
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- ½ to 2/3 cup extra virgin Greek olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
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Bring the potatoes to a boil in ample salted water and cook until fork tender. Remove and drain the potatoes in a colander. Let the potatoes stand until they’re cool enough to handle but still warm and cut them in half, either across the width or length, or both, for some visual variety.
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Coarsely chop the basil and arugula. Place in the bowl of a food processor, together with the garlic, toasted pine nuts and a pinch of sea salt and process to a smooth paste. Add the lemon zest, feta, salt and pepper to taste, and a half cup of olive oil. Process some more, until the pesto is dense and creamy, for about a minute. Add more olive oil if needed to reach your own desired consistency.
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