Warm Dilly Potato Salad Recipe (easy)
I don’t know about you but I’m a real sucker for potatoes. They are definitely my favourite side dish and they are so dynamic in the way that they can be prepared and served. A few years ago we were visiting friends and they served us a warm potato salad with dinner. It completely blew my mind! How had I never thought of this before? Ever since, I have been experimenting with different ingredients but this recipe has become our family favourite. It’s so creamy and tangy and warming. Dill is one of my favourite herbs, I just love the freshness and the little kick it gives you. We serve it all year round. It works well with BBQ and also with roasted veggies and meats.
This warm dilly potato salad is a real comforting side dish for all occasions.
Look at that creamy delicious mixture of potatoes, corn and peas!
Here is a quick low down on potatoes.
They tend to get a bad reputation in the diet and nutrition world because they are higher on the glycemic index, which means that they tend to spike blood sugar much more rapidly than say sweet potatoes, which are low on the glycemic index (you can learn more about the glycemic index here). This can be a problem for people who have type 2 diabetes and also those with disregulated blood sugar, or dysglycemia. However, this does not mean that they necessarily have to be avoided. There are certain things that can be done to better manage the spike in blood sugar, such as eating a smaller portion, leaving the skins on the potatoes (to increase fiber), and pairing potatoes with a lean protein and a healthy fat.
Potatoes have several benefits that are often overlooked. You might be surprised to learn that according to studies, potatoes are the largest contributor to vegetable phenolics in the American diet. This is great news because plant phenolics, when absorbed through the intestinal wall can help prevent damage to your cells and preserve the integrity of your DNA because they are rich in antioxidants. This in turn can reduce inflammation in the body and lower the risk for chronic disease. Potatoes are also a good source of fiber, as I mentioned, as long as you leave the skins on. They are very high in potassium (higher than bananas!) and they are rich in iron, B vitamins and vitamin C.
Potatoes are known for being a high starch food and are often categorized with white pasta and bread. This is unfortunate because of the many benefits that they provide, which foods like white pasta and bread do not as they are refined and processed, while potatoes are a whole food. The fiber that they contain (with skins on) can actually help to regulate blood sugar. Keeping the skins on will help to regulate your hunger as well because you won’t have the same spike and crash in blood sugar.
Ok, here is the big kicker if you really want to get the most health benefits out of this warm dilly potato salad - COOL it down before you eat it. Why? Because cooked, cooled potatoes are the richest source of resistant starch, as in resistant to digestion. This helps to satiate hunger for longer periods of time. What is another major benefit of resistant starch? The good microbes in our gut microbiome absolutely love it! They ferment resistant starch into short chain fatty acids or SCFAs. These SCFAs heal the colon and prevent the growth of inflammatory pathogens (bad guys), therefore balancing your microbiome and keeping it healthy. What does a healthy microbiome in my gut have to do with my blood sugar regulation, you might be wondering? Because a loss of diversity or balance in the gut microbiome can result in the increase of pathogenic microbes, which release endotoxins. These endotoxins result in low grade chronic inflammation through out the body, which has been shown in studies to be the underlying issue associated with dysglycemia, type 2 diabetes, weight gain and obesity (1).
It almost always comes back to gut health guys!
A close up view of my creamy warm dilly potato salad…..droooool.
Ok here is the moment you have all been waiting for………the recipe!
Warm Dilly Potato Salad Recipe
This recipe is so easy to make and yet so delicious!
Author: Andrea Black
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 10 - 15 mins
Total time: 20 - 25 mins
Yields: 6 - 8 servings
Ingredients:
1.5 lb of red potatoes with skins on - cubed
1/2 cup of frozen corn niblets
1/2 cup of frozen peas
Handful of fresh dill - chopped
1/4 cup of *mayo of choice (can use vegan or homemade)
3/4 Tbsp dijon mustard
Sprinkle of turmeric powder
Sprinkle of black pepper
How to?
Boil the potatoes until they are soft. I like mine to be very soft so that they are sloughing a little, this makes the whole dish that much more creamy and meeellldy.
Add frozen corn and peas and boil 3-5 more mins
Drain water, add other ingredients, mix well and serve immediately!
Adjust flavouring to your liking and check out more options below to mix it up some!
Optional:
Add a splash of pickle juice of choice (we use fermented/sour pickle juice for the probiotic benefits) to give your salad a little kick or sprinkle with smoked or regular paprika for serving. Adding boiled and chopped eggs to your salad can make it more of a main course as you will then have the protein factor to support slower digestion of the carbohydrate potatoes.
*You can substitute mayo for greek yogurt (vegan greek yogurt can be used) and add a splash of apple cider vinegar to get a little more of the tang.
I hope that you enjoy this recipe and use it at pot lucks and BBQ’s to dazzle your friends with tastiness. Why not go ahead and book mark it for summer meal ideas. For more meal ideas and wellness inspiration, please visit my instagram page @wellnessinbodied or join my facebook page.
Stay well friends.
References:
(1) Bulsiewicz, Will , MD, MSCI, 2020, Fiber Fueled, https://theplantfedgut.com/book/
