Having houseguests for the weekend? Just make this ahead as this salad can be refrigerated for up to 3 days — just reserve the arugula and add at the last minute. (Recipe adapted from “Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables” by Joshua McFadden.)
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound new small potatoes, rinsed and lightly scrubbed
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or more as needed
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more as needed
- 1 pound cauliflower, cut or broken into small florets (no bigger than 1 1/2 inches)
- ½ cup chopped pitted olives (preferably a mix of black and green)
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion from one quarter of a small onion
- ¼ cup chopped pepperoncini or other pickled peppers (about 4)
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 3 ounces feta cheese
- 1/2 cup lightly packed arugula leaves chopped
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Put the potatoes in a large pot of cold, salted water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat until it’s gently bubbling (medium low) and cook until the potatoes are tender, 20-25 minutes. Drain and return them to the pot.
- Use a fork to crush and smash the potatoes, creating crevices. Add the lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of the oil, ¼ teaspoon of the salt and the pepper, and toss gently. Let cool.
- While the potatoes are cooking, toss the cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet with another 1 tablespoon of the oil and ¼ teaspoon of the salt.
- Roast cauliflower (middle rack) until tender and browned around the edges. 20-30 minutes.
- Add the just roasted cauliflower to the smashed potatoes, Add the olives, red onion, pickled peppers, thyme and crushed red pepper flakes, and toss gently to incorporate.
- Crumble the feta into the bowl of a mini food processor or blender, pulse until creamy. With the motor running drizzle the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil until well incorporated.
- Add the whipped feta to the salad and fold gently. Add the arugula and fold again (unless you plan to serve the salad later). Taste, and add more salt, pepper and lemon juice as needed.
- Serve slightly warm or at room temperature with lemon wedges on the side.