Warm Potato-Watercress Salad

Warm Potato-Watercress Salad

Photograph by James Carrier

SERVES 6
TIME About 45 minutes
NOTES If making salad up to 6 hours ahead, don’t mix in the watercress; cover salad and chill. Add the chopped watercress and the leaves just before serving.

Ingredients 4 or 5 Yukon gold or other thin-skinned potatoes (6 to 8 oz. each, about 2 lb. total)
1?4 lb. watercress
1?2 cup finely chopped shallots
1?2 cup white wine vinegar
2 tbsp. coarse-ground mustard
1 tsp. sugar
1?2 tsp. dried tarragon
About 1?2 cup sour cream or reduced-fat sour cream
Salt
1?4 cup fat-skimmed chicken broth (optional)

Directions
1. Scrub potatoes and put in a 3- to 4-qt. pan. Add enough water to barely cover potatoes and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender when pierced, about 40 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, rinse watercress, drain, and discard discolored or bruised leaves and stems. Pinch off 1 to 2 cups leaves, wrap in a towel, enclose in a plastic bag, and chill. Finely chop remaining watercress, including stems.

3. In a 1- to 2-qt. pan, combine shallots, vinegar, mustard, sugar, and tarragon. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.

4. Drain cooked potatoes; when just cool enough to touch, in 10 to 15 minutes, pull off skins and discard. Cut potatoes into 1?2-in. chunks and put in a bowl. Stir in shallot mixture. Add 1?2 cup sour cream and chopped watercress; mix, and season to taste with salt. For a more moist salad, add additional sour cream or up to 1?4 cup broth and mix gently.

5. Scrape salad into a serving bowl and garnish with chilled watercress leaves.

PER SERVING 182 cal., 21% (38 cal.) from fat;3.9 g protein; 4.2 g fat (2.5 g sat.); 32 g carbo(2.6 g fiber); 84 mg sodium; 8.4 mg chol.

Serve with Hopscotch Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 (Sonoma County)