Asparagus and New Potato Mint Pesto Salad
A salad that sings in spring. Packed full of the early delights spring in Britain has to offer. The salty crunch of asparagus is balanced by the smooth new potato and pesto mixture. Try using Jersey Royal potatoes for the new potatoes. But their short and early season may mean you have to look to substitutes later in the season.
When to eat
I recommend eating this dish from May to early July.
Asparagus and New Potato Mint Pesto Salad
A salad that sings in spring. Packed full of the early delights spring in Britain has to offer. The salty crunch of asparagus is balanced by the smooth new potato and pesto mixture. Try using Jersey Royal potatoes for the new potatoes. But their short and early season may mean you have to look to substitutes later in the season.
This meal is around 92% less polluting than the average UK meal.
Eating this recipe will save around 2.72 KG CO2e per person.
That’s equivalent to the emissions produced driving 22.45 KM in a modern car.
How do I calculate this?Ingredients
- 900 g New Potato
- 250 g Asparagus
- 200 g Cooked Borlotti Beans
- 45 g Basil
- 20 g Walnuts
- 1 Teaspoon Nutritional Yeast
- 4 Clove Garlic
- 50 ml Olive Oil
- 1 Lemon
- 40 g Mint
Instructions
- Scrub and quarter the new potatoes. Then add to deep pan and cover with salted water. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat, and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Drain and reserve in the pan, lid off, allowing to cool slightly.
- Whilst the potatoes are cooking make the pesto. Peel and crush the garlic and place it along with the basil, walnuts, nutritional yeast, and some salt and pepper in a small blender. Add the olive oil to the blender, reserving about a tablespoon to cook the asparagus later. Juice the lemon. Then blend the ingredients till smooth, adding about half the lemon juice to the mixture whilst the machine is on.
- Heat the remaining olive oil in a shallow frying pan over a high heat. Roughly chop the asparagus into thirds and tip into the pan. Fry for about 3 – 5 minutes, moving often until the asparagus begins to take on a little colour and soften. Season with salt and pepper and add a little of the remaining lemon juice into the pan. Then remove from the heat.
- Roughly chop the mint. Combine the mint, potato, asparagus, cooked borlotti beans and pesto in a deep mixing bowl. Fold the ingredients well, until the pesto evenly coats everything. Serve either immediately or after the ingredients have fully cooled.