potato salad with proscuitto and dijon vinaigrette

i love potato salad. growing up, that meant potatoes with some combination of macaroni, egg, grated carrots, pickles, onions, and peas, always held together with creamy mayonnaise. 

as much as i love potato salad, i was a bit surprised when a friend of mine said he and his fiancée had decided to serve potato salad as the salad course for the wedding reception they were planning at an upscale resort. he said it would be something different, and it was.

inspired by a salad course we had at the umstead resort & spa in cary, north carolina. 

ingredients

• 1 pound potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite-sized pieces (this time, i used some teeny, tiny potatoes from trader joe so i left them whole; fingerling or other small potatoes with tender skins will also work)
• 3 thin slices of prosciutto, sliced into thin ribbons (about 1.5 ounces)
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped pea sprouts
• for the dijon vinaigrette:
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon grainy dijon mustard
• 1/2 tablespoon finely diced shallot
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 

directions

1. if potatoes are larger than bite-size, cut them in half or quarters to form bit-size pieces.
2. place potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water. place over medium-high heat and bring water to simmer. simmer until potatoes are cooked through and a fork can pierce them easily (about 10 minutes).
3. drain the potatoes in a colander and let them cool.
4. while the potatoes are cooling, prepare the vinaigrette by whisking the vinegar, dijon mustard, shallots, and honey in a bowl. slowly whisk in olive oil. add salt and ground pepper to taste. (it's okay to under-salt the vinaigrette. the prosciutto is will add salt to the salad)
5. once the potatoes are cooled, move them to a large bowl and gently toss with half of the vinaigrette. add more if needed to coat the potatoes (or if you like a well dressed salad). 
6. add the prosciutto and pea shoots and gently combine. garnish with a few pea shoot tops if desired.
7. serve or refrigerate.

notes:

• if you refrigerate, let the salad sit for a few minutes before serving. 
• to create individual servings, do not create prosciutto ribbons. instead, place a piece of prosciutto on each plate. top with the potatoes tossed in vinaigrette and garnish with pea shoots.
• blanched green beans or asparagus can also be added to the salad to lighten it. add it to the potatoes and toss everything with the vinaigrette just before serving. green beans will slightly discolor if left in the sauce too long (not pretty, but still tastes fine).