Roasted Potato & Spinach Salad! No mayo here, just a bright and tangy vinaigrette that makes this simple potato salad equally scrumptious. Served warm or at room temperature, it's a versatile, crowd-pleasing side dish you'll make again and again.
I can feel it coming in the air {tonight... Oh lawd.}. The feeling of fall.
While most of you spend the last few weeks of summer counting down the days to Pumpkin Spice Lattes and football season, I'm over here breathing into a brown paper bag trying not to let myself get overwhelmed to the point of a blackout. This is the reality of fall for me.
By the time the holidays are over and winter comes around, I'm usually ready to curl up in the fetal position and sleep until January. No matter how much I prepare myself, it puts me through the wringer every flippin' year, and I have a feeling that this year will be no different.
Over the course of the next few months I will be: planning and executing a bridal shower, planning and attending a bachelorette party in New Orleans, gearing up for fall cooking and baking for the blog, potentially taking on some new projects that fall into unfamiliar territory for me, celebrating my 36th birthday, my husband's 35th birthday, my sister's 26th birthday, and my mom's 65th birthday all within a few days of each other, getting ready for my little one to turn 3, followed immediately by my sister's wedding in which I am the Matron of Honor and will have to give a speech.
SEND ALL THE WINE.
I realize that while it may seem completely manageable to most {normal} people, a list like the one I've mentioned above is enough to send hyper-organized planner like me into overdrive because -- until those tasks are crossed off my list -- they take up valuable real estate in my brain and make even the most mundane of daily happenings a challenge.
So, in an effort to head off an epic meltdown at the pass, my solution is this: Simplify.
Simplify the daily comings and goings. Simplify the social calendar. Simplify the tasks. Simplify it all. Including food.
Since I pretty much set up shop in the kitchen from of September to January, my energy levels for non-work-related cooking is pretty depleted. Chances are, you will NOT find me cooking an elaborate meal just because during this time -- although I do find that baking soothes my nerves on occasion. {Doing dishes is a whole 'nother ball of wax.}
I know I've mentioned all summer that I'd be sharing "throwbacks" on Thursdays, and while this dish isn't exactly that, it reminds me of a potato salad post I shared back in 2011 for Oktoberfest. Except, you guessed it... simpler.
This Roasted Potato & Spinach Salad is as simple as it gets. Roasted potatoes and chopped spinach tossed in a tangy vinaigrette. It's a great dish to bring to a potluck or picnic, and makes a nice side dish for a weeknight meal. {No mayo, so no need to worry about leaving it out for a while!}
It's exactly the type of dish I need as I batten down the hatches for the Fall Frenzy.
Let's do this!
Roasted Potato & Spinach Salad
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound 8 oz. {24 oz.} bag baby red potatoes scrubbed and sliced ¼ in thick
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup fresh baby spinach roughly chopped
For Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or white whine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic grated or minced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking pan with foil. Rub with about 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Place sliced potatoes onto oiled baking sheet and drizzled with remaining tablespoon of oil, making sure to coat all slices.
- Sprinkle with rosemary, onion powder and salt. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, then toss and continue to bake for another 10-12 minutes or until the potatoes begin to turn golden brown and are fork-tender.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar and garlic until combined.
- When the potatoes are done baking, remove them from the oven and add them to the bowl with the vinaigrette along with the chopped spinach. Toss gently to coat all the potatoes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
