Asparagus Potato Salad with Lentils

Adding asparagus to potato salad could never a bad thing, right? This one is adapted from my roasted new potato salad but simplified a bit, and with asparagus, the queen of spring (sorry rhubarb). For this particular version I mixed jack by the hedge, or garlic mustard, with the spinach.

It ends up being a pretty great light dinner, with lots of lentils to fill you up, and a surprisingly balanced meal for a potato salad. If nothing else it’s a very good reason to eat potato salad as a whole meal.

If you’re a gardener, have a CSA, or use seasonal ingredients generally, try some of these great spring recipes using seasonal combinations: strawberry salad, gluten-free beet tart (using beet greens), and reader favourite roasted carrot salad with lentils.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• New potatoes: use main crop potatoes if you don’t have new potatoes. Just cut them into smaller pieces.
• Greens: any kind of hardy green – that is, spinach, kale, swiss chard, rucola, mustard greens, and so on – can be used in place of the spinach and garlic mustard. If you can’t find garlic mustard but can get ramsons or wild garlic, you can use some of that instead.
• Lentils: I call for green lentils, but black or mountain lentils are good too. Something with some bite, so that excludes red lentils or big brown lentils, both of which cook up a bit too soft.
• Asparagus: you can use white asparagus – I am not such a fan, despite my German-ness, and prefer green here. Choose small, thin stalks.

Recipe Notes

Mixing the dressing while everything is hot causes the greens to wilt, makes the fresh garlic in the dressing a bit milder, and allows the potatoes to absorb some of that lemon and mustard flavour. Make sure to eat it while it’s still warm, too.

You really don’t want to overcook the asparagus – wait until the potatoes are quite golden, very nearly done, before adding it, to avoid limp stalks. A bit of crunch is a good thing.

Garlic Mustard

Garlic mustard is an invasive plant in North America (which means you can harvest as much as you want without worrying) but native to Europe. It used to be hugely popular as a seasoning or addition to dishes as long as 7000 (!) years ago.

It’s everywhere at this time of year, May/June, and a delicious, garlicky green that can be used as a substitute for spinach or other fresh greens. I use it for pesto, adding to salads like this one, and in soups and dishes like these coconut rice noodles.

I’ve used a mix of this and baby spinach, but if you have enough garlic mustard, go for it and use it as the lone green here. It’s excellent with the sharp mustard in the dressing. As with most greens, it’s best when small, so harvest as early as you can. It can be a bit overwhelming raw but wilted by the roasted potatoes, it’s a treat.

How to Store

Storage: this is best served immediately, but tastes good at room temperature too. I don’t recommend storing for longer than a day in a sealed container.

Freezing: I don’t recommend freezing this recipe.

Expert Tips

• Use waxy potatoes: I recommend a waxy potato variety for this recipe, and any time you’re eating whole potatoes rather than mashing. Charlotte is one of my favourites, one that I grow in the garden, and widely available.
• Omit the vinegar: the vinaigrette offers an optional tablespoon of white wine vinegar, and this is by personal preference. I love the lemon here, but also need a bit more of a kick than straight lemon provides. If you don’t like higher acidity, leave it out.
• Mix while warm: it’s key to mix the salad while the potatoes are still hot. This will wilt the greens and the vinaigrette will absorb partly into the potatoes, making for a very flavourful salad.

More Asparagus Recipes

Vegan Broccoli Pizza Crust with spring vegetables
Spring Green Vegetable Coconut Rice Noodles
Green Pea Hummus
Spring Green Minestrone

If you make this Asparagus Potato Salad or any other vegetarian mains on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.