Roasted Fingerling Potato Salad with Prosciutto

Fingerling potatoes are some of my favorite spuds to cook with. Mild, earthy flavor, creamy texture, and just the right size for easy, quick cooking all make fingerlings a good choice for a variety of potato dishes—including salad.

Fingerling Potatoes

Roasting the potatoes draws out their rich, savory potato taste and adds a little depth to regular potato salad. Simply cut the fingerlings crosswise into bite-sized pieces, toss with olive oil and seasoning, and roast for 20-25 minutes.

Prep the other ingredients and make the dressing while they roast, and the salad will be ready to serve warm—or ready to chill in the fridge to give the flavors time to blend, as in this recipe.

Of course, when it comes to potato, pasta, or garden salads, for that matter, the most prominent flavor is the dressing. Creamy, mayonnaise-based dressings cover up most of the visual appeal of the salad ingredients, so taste is all-important in making this an inviting, scrumptious dish.

Here, the rich flavor comes from a combination of tangy yet sweet white balsamic vinegar and—the key ingredient—evaporated milk. The milk not only adds its own creamy sweetness, but also thins the dressing to a not-so-smothering consistency.

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Salad

• 1 lb fingerling potatoes, cut crosswise into bite-sized pieces
• olive oil, for drizzling
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 oz thinly sliced, trimmed prosciutto, cut into short strips
• 1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced celery
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 3 basil leaves, thinly sliced

Potato Salad Ingredients

For the Dressing

• 1/3 cup light mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup evaporated milk 
• 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp white sugar
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp celery seed
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

For the Salad

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a shallow baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Place the potatoes in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.
3. Spread the potatoes in a single layer on the baking pan (reserve the bowl; do not wipe). Roast until tender and golden, stirring a few times, 20-25 minutes. Remove and let cool to room temperature.
4. Transfer the potatoes to the reserved bowl and add the prosciutto and remaining ingredients.

Potatoes Tossed with Oil and Seasoning

Potatoes Ready to Roast

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Roasted Potato Mixture

1. Add the dressing (recipe follows) and stir gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour (may be made 1 day ahead). Stir gently again before serving.

Roasted Fingerling Potato Salad with Prosciutto

For the Dressing

1. Combine the mayonnaise, milk, vinegar, sugar, mustard, and celery seed in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Potato Salad Dressing