Well, here we are, staring down the unofficial end of summer. Labor Day weekend is upon us in the U.S., and though it signifies the waning days of summer, we are hardly ready to trade in our shorts and flip flops for boots and cozy sweaters. It’s still plenty hot, and we still have weeks— if not months— of good grilling weather remaining.

If you’ll be grilling out this weekend, and perhaps looking for a different take on potato salad, I have a fun one for you. This salad was the result of wracking my brain for another mayo-free potato side, not unlike the potato salad with chive and parsley pesto that I shared at the start of summer. That was a NY Times Cooking Recipe, and this one happens to be inspired by another recipe from the same site.  

It had already occurred to me that romesco sauce would be a delicious flavor to apply to potato salad, when lo and behold, a recipe appeared in my inbox for a “romesco egg salad.” There was confirmation for my inspiration, and I was off and running.

Romesco, in case you are not familiar, is a Spanish-inspired sauce made of pureed roasted red pepper, almonds and paprika. Typically, it would include roasted tomatoes, but I omitted those to keep my sauce thicker. It is sometimes also blended with stale bread to give the sauce more body, but I didn’t want carbs on carbs, so I skipped that, too, which also kept it gluten free. My romesco is spiked with garlic, vinegar, sherry and capers for extra bright flavor, and a peppery extra virgin olive oil holds the whole thing together. The sauce was delicious and substantial for dressing a potato salad.

What I like about this salad, besides it being free of greasy mayonnaise that separates at the first hint of heat, is that it packs a ton of flavor that you might not expect on a potato salad. The roasted red pepper lends more than enough moisture to keep the tender boiled potatoes from feeling sticky or dry, and the smoked paprika, capers and hard boiled egg give it an unmistakable flair of Spanish cuisine.

It comes together easily, especially if you use jarred roasted red peppers, as I did for this one. Simply process together the romesco ingredients, seasoning as you go, and then fold it into tender cooked baby potatoes. A few hours to chill it down is all you need, then top it with chopped eggs, onions, capers and parsley, and this is potluck-ready! 

We enjoyed this romesco potato salad at our house on Fourth of July weekend, but it would be a perfect way to celebrate the end of summer while also welcoming in some of the bolder flavors of fall. It would be excellent alongside a grilled skirt steak or zesty marinated chicken breasts, or keep it light and healthy— as we did, by serving it alongside a grilled whole branzino. 

This recipe made enough romesco to dress the salad plus a little extra to serve on the side with the grilled fish. If you don’t want the extra, simply prepare an extra half-pound of potatoes. But trust me on this, you’re going to want the extra. 😁

Romesco Potato Salad

• Servings: About 6
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Difficulty: Average
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The Spanish-inspired flavors of roasted red pepper, paprika, sherry and almond lend a zesty flair to this mayo-free potato salad!

Ingredients

• 1 pound itty bitty red potatoes
• 3 eggs, hard boiled, cooled and peeled
• 1/2 cup roasted red peppers
• 1/3 cup almonds
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp sherry (see recipe notes)
• 3/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/3 cup evoo; add 2 Tbsp at first, drizzle remaining in while processor runs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Additional roasted red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley leaves and stems, chopped
• 1 Tbsp capers, rough chopped
• 1/4 cup diced Spanish onion

Recipe Notes: Sherry vinegar is traditional for romesco, but I substituted a 50/50 mix of red wine vinegar and good quality drinking sherry. Odd, isn’t it, that I had sherry but not the vinegar? You will likely only need about 2/3 of the romesco to dress the potato salad. Save the rest for another purpose (it’s great on sandwiches or with grilled fish), or do an extra 1/2 pound of potatoes.

Directions

1. Add baby potatoes and water to a medium pot. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce slightly to simmer until potatoes are tender. Drain immediately and let them relax in the colander to dissipate the steam. Lightly smash the potatoes, not to the point of mashing them, but enough to break them open just a bit.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine roasted red pepper, garlic, almonds, vinegar, sherry and paprika. Season with salt and pepper. Pulse a few quick times to roughly blend the sauce. Add one yolk of hard boiled egg if desired. Add two tablespoons of the olive oil and pulse again, then run the machine continuously while you slowly drizzle in the remaining oil.
3. When potatoes are warm but no longer hot, gently fold in the romesco sauce. You’ll probably want to use a little more sauce than you initially think it needs, as the warm potatoes will absorb some of the moisture in the sauce.
4. At serving time, top with additional red pepper, onion, chopped hard-boiled egg, capers and parsley. Add one last drizzle of olive oil, if desired.