Potato & Fava Bean Salad with Miso-Mustard Dressing

July 30, 2009 at 11:12 am · Filed under Food, vegan ·Tagged fava beans, miso, mustard, potatoes, salad, vegan

This salad was inspired by my birthday dinner at Millenium in May.  I can’t remember exactly what it was I ordered, but it was some sort of creamy potato roulade with black pepper pastry and a salad of warm raddichio, fava beans and mustard dressing.  With fava beans in season, I decided to take a few of the flavors from that meal and make a tasty, simple salad.

Potato & Fava Bean Salad with Miso-Mustard Dressing

This is really all about the dressing, as far as I’m concerned.  It would taste good on anything, but I like the texture combination of potato/fava bean/celery, and would highly recommend at least using the fresh favas.

1 lb small or medium boiling potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch chunks (red, purple or yukon gold are good)
1 lb fresh fava beans, shelled
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
small shallot, minced
1 Tbs light miso
2 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp agave nectar
3 Tbs rice vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 Tbs sesame oil
1 tsp tamari or soy sauce
pinch of salt
salad greens (optional)

1.  Either boil or roast the potatoes.  To boil, place the potatoes in a pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and cook just until fork tender.  Drain, but do not rinse.  To roast, preheat the oven to 425F.  Place the potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with olive or canola oil and toss to coat.  Roast 10 minutes, stir, then check for doneness after another 10 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

2.  Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil and have a bowl of ice water ready.  Boil the fava beans for 1 minute then remove with a slotted spoon to the ice water to shock.  Once the beans are cool to the touch, remove the second shell from each bean, using your fingernail to break the shell.

3.  Combine the shallot, miso, dijon mustard, agave nectar, rice vinegar, canola oil, sesame oil and tamari in the blender.  Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.  Taste and add a pinch of salt if needed.

4.  Place the potatoes, fava beans and celery in a medium mixing bowl.  Pour the dressing over the salad and mix gently.  Serve warm immediately, or chill before serving.  The salad can be eaten on its own or over salad greens.

Serves 3.

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