This salad comes together quickly, and the warmth of the roasted vegetables melts the cheese to create the dressing!
So many wonderful vegetables at the farm stand right now! This is the time of year when the vegetables dictate what supper is going to be, and that’s all right with me!
A rainbow in my basket
On a recent outing, I found some beautiful fingerling potatoes in a variety of colors, some sweet and delicious frying peppers, tender patty pan summer squash, vibrant watermelon radishes, meaty scallions, colorful cherry tomatoes, and sweet onions. I had a lovely rainbow in my basket, and some creamy local chèvre to bring them all together.
Cook the vegetables however you like
The potatoes are the base, but you could substitute cauliflower, and use any other seasonal vegetable that strikes your fancy; this is simply how I made it one day with what I found shopping. There are options to cooking the vegetables in this salad as well. I chose this time to roast them to bring out more flavor, but you could just as easily cook them in a basket on the grill, steam them, or toss them in a wok. Whatever way, cook just until tender. Add the cheese, and as it melts, your salad is dressed.
A vegan option, too
The cheese I chose was Vermont Creamery Smoky Pepper Jelly Chevre. You can use any flavored, favorite goat cheese in this, or any flavorful soft cheese that melts nicely. Crème fraîche or even vegan crème fraîche would be good alternatives if you don’t care for goat cheese.
Use a favorite herb here. I tossed in some tarragon, but dill, parsley, rosemary, or chives would all be good too.
Serve this warm, room temperature, or cold, best at room temp in my opinion. Holds up well for a gathering.
Roasted Rainbow Potato Salad with Melted Chèvre Dressing
- 1 lb. fingerling potatoes, sliced
- 1 small sweet red pepper, sliced
- ½ onion, sliced
- 1 yellow summer squash, sliced
- 1 watermelon or other radish, sliced
- 1 tbsp. fruity olive oil
- 4 oz. chèvre, favorite variety, chopped up
- 1 -2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tbsp, fresh minced tarragon
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 1 tbsp. chopped pecans or other nuts, optional
- Cherry tomatoes and herbs to garnish
Preheat oven to 450. Place two rimmed baking sheets in the oven to heat.
Prep vegetables and place in a large bowl, adding the olive oil and some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well with fingers to distribute the oil.
Place the potatoes on one heated baking sheet, single file, the rest of the vegetables on the other.
Roast for about 10 minutes. If the potatoes are not quite done, cook an additional 3 or 4 minutes. Don’t overcook. You want the veggies to be just cooked, not mushy.
Place all the hot veggies back in the large bowl and add the goat cheese, lemon juice, tarragon, and half the scallions. Mix well with a spatula. The cheese will immediately begin to melt, and that is what you want. Taste for seasoning. Do you want more lemon? Pepper? This salad likes a lot of pepper.
Plate and garnish with the rest of the scallions, nuts, and cherry tomatoes. This is also good served on a bed of shredded Napa cabbage.
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Sounds and looks like a prophecy. 🙂 Thank you for sharing, another wonderful idea. Best wishes, Michael
What incredible praise! Thank you so much Michael!
Looks delicious and healthy too!
Thank you! It is definitely a feel-good dish!
Looks really good. Thanks for posting
Thank you for stopping by Charlie!
Looks yummy!!
Thank you! It was really good.
The salad looks wonderful! Love the goat cheese addition. 🙂
Thanks Ronit! A little twist, and it really was delicious.
It’s the little twists that make all the difference. 🙂
That it is! And you always have a trick or two up your sleeve!
🙂
Scrumptious! A perfect summer salad!
Thank you!
Enjoy your day.
Thank you Nancy! It really is perfect for the season.
My bride and I REEEeeally need to get up your way one of these days! Just to sample some of what’s cooking in your kitchen! 😋
Potatoes make my day, no matter how they are served. 🍃🥔
Mine too! In any form.
For a delicious meal without meat! I love recipes like this.
Yes, especially when they keep well and taste even better the next day!
Yummy! So pretty, too!
It was indeed really pretty to put together! Love seeing all those colorful veggies on the table.
What a beautiful take on a potato salad love the addition of the melted cheese..Looks stunning, Dorothy 🙂 x
Thank you! It was quite a hit!
I love all the colors and textures, and the cheese takes it over the top! Beautiful Dorothy!
Jenna
Thank you so much Jenna. The cheese makes this really unique.
Warm melted goat cheese sounds to me a perfect dressing! I love the way you look at ingredients as interchangeable. It makes me realize that I can do my own version with ingredients available here! Nicely done and gorgeous, as always.
Oh, thank you so much Terrie! This is the way I look at food. I seldom follow a recipe exactly, even my own, because so much depends on what is in season, what I have on hand, etc. There’s almost always a substitution, or a swap, especially if there are dietary considerations. XXOO
What a pretty salad, and love the variety of ingredients in it! The dressing sounds so good, too!
Thank you Nancy! I really love how this turned out, and you can swap a lot of different vegetables.
I love the ingredients! What a yummy looking, complete salad meal!♥️
Thank you! It is a plate of delicious and nutritious!
Well what’s not to love here?!! Especially that to-die-for dressing…
Thanks Mimi, it is so simple and delicious! A hit all around.
What a feast on a plate 😋😋😋
Thank you! One of our new favorites!
Yummy looking salad 🥗😋
Thank you! It will definitely be made again.