Looking for a fresh, tasty side dish to brighten up your dinner table? Look no further, you’re going to love this!

It’s been a weirdly warm fall. After a rath er cool early summer, my garden was unexpectedly, delightfully productive in October. I wasn’t going to develop any new recipes this fall, but I just couldn’t help myself. The plan was to keep things simple while my kitchen and hip underwent their respective renovations. But there were only so many nights I could eat plain bell peppers before itching to dress them up a bit!

I used my Instant Pot pressure cooker to cook the potatoes. Ordinarily, I’d have boiled them on the stovetop. I found the IP so easy and effective that I’m not going back to boiling baby potatoes even now that I have my stove back. You can cook them however you like, then just follow the recipe after that.

I used a red jalapeno, which is just a really ripe one. I love them because the heat is smoother than the green, but you could certainly use a green if that’s what you have. Note that the green ones aren’t quite as hot so you might need to use a bit more.

I love to use a wide variety of seasonings. I know most people don’t always have room or even a desire for some of the more unusual ingredients, so I always try to offer possible substitutions. This salad would be delicious with plain extra virgin olive oil and lime juice, but the Persian Lime Olive Oil and the Cranberry Pear White Balsamic Vinegar send it soaring from delicious to sublime. If you’ve ever been tempted to try Oliva, now is the time!

Ingredients:

1 pound (455 g) baby red potatoes

1 cup (about 3 oz., or 85 g) fresh beans or peas

3 red or yellow bell peppers, or a combination of both

½ fresh jalapeño pepper

3 small sprigs of fresh mint, about 2 Tbsp lightly packed leaves

½ tsp fresh rosemary leaves (optional)

1 tablespoon Oliva Persian Lime olive oil (may substitute plain extra virgin)

3 tablespoons cranberry-pear white balsamic vinegar (may substitute lime juice)

1 teaspoon lime juice

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

1.) Scrub the potatoes and cook them whichever way you prefer. I did mine in my Instant Pot because my kitchen was still under construction at the time. It was so easy that I’ll probably continue to do it that way even now that I have my kitchen back. Just put 1½ cups (360 ml) of water in the inner pot along with a trivet. The one that comes with the pot is fine. Put the potatoes in a mesh basket and put the basket on the trivet. Use the manual button to set the pot for 3 minutes on high pressure. Allow 5 minutes natural pressure release, then open the vent to release any remaining pressure.

2.) While the potatoes cook, set up an ice bath. When they are done, plunge the potatoes into the cold water and let them sit a while to cool off. I used a dish pan since my large bowls were still packed in boxes. It doesn’t matter what you use, as long as it’s big and clean. The picture was taken after all the ice melted.

3.) Meanwhile, snap the beans into bite-size pieces. Put the peas and/or beans in the mesh basket and return it to the Instant Pot. Put the lid on, but don’t turn the pot on. After just a minute or two, the residual heat and steam will blanch them nicely. If you’ve boiled the potatoes, you can just drop the peas/beans into the hot water for a moment before moving them to the cold water. Once cool, drain the peas/beans and transfer them to a large bowl. I used late-season snow peas from my garden, some of which had pods that were already thin and tough. I shelled those and left the rest in their pods.

4.) Drain the potatoes, cut them into bite-size chunks (halves or quarters, depending on the size of your potatoes) and add them to the bowl. Chop the bell peppers and add them as well. Set the bowl aside.

5.) Slice the jalapeño thinly, and make a pile of the slices and the mint and rosemary leaves. Mince them together as finely as you can. Transfer to a small bowl.

6.) Stir the vinegar, salt, and pepper into the mint/jalapeño mixture. Whisking constantly, drizzle in the olive oil. Continue whisking until well combined. I used a plastic fork (the whisks were also still in boxes), which didn’t do as well as I’d have liked. A whisk would have done a better job.

7.) Pour the dressing onto the veggies and stir gently to coat. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until dinnertime.