Those who know me well, know I’ve never met a potato I didn’t love! But this little potato got all dressed up for Independence Day! While fireworks light up the night sky, you can rely on this salad to light up the day. The heat from the chipotle cream sauce is cooled by the fresh sweet corn. The salad is loaded with crunchy bits of celery and red bell peppers which makes for a very satisfying salad to share with friends.
Most every year we gather for food, fun and fireworks with our friends Steve and Carolyn Laethem and all of their friends. Have you ever had friends who just knew how to attract the best people into their lives? Well, that’s our friends the Laethem’s! Over the years we have come to enjoy their friends so much that one year we threw a “Friends of Laethem” pool party at our house. All the people we invited were a collection of friends we had made by knowing them. It was a hoot and everyone got a kick out of the theme for this party!
Inspiration for a party can come from anywhere if you are looking for it! And we are always looking for a reason to have a party!
If you like the flavors of the southwest, and I love them, you will really like this zesty, creamy salad!
Southwestern Potato Salad
Cook potatoes until fork tender, about 20 minutes depending on the size of the potato. Remove from the water and set aside to cool slightly. You want warm potatoes when you add the dressing.
Use a dish with shallow sides to catch all the corn kernels as you shave them off the cob. I used to use a paper towel so I could scoop up the kernels and pour them into a bowl. The problem was my kernels would fly all over the counter top. Now I trap them and there’s much less havoc in the kitchen! Genius way to keep them from ricocheting off everything in sight!
Chop all the veggies and set aside until you are ready to assemble the salad. Aren’t they just beautiful? When you have ingredients that are this colorful you know you’re going to have a great tasting salad!
Zest the key limes, or regular lime if you can’t find the key limes. Key limes or Mexican limes are a staple at my house! They are little but they are packed with flavor. If you have never tried these little guys, you absolutely have too! You will be converted and rarely use a regular lime again, I promise!
Combine all the ingredients, up to the potatoes, in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Place warm potatoes in a large bowl and pour the mixture over potatoes and mix well. Warm potatoes will absorb the dressing better than cold ones. Flavor is what we’re all about so dress those taters while they’re still warm! Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.
Add the corn, celery, red onion, red bell pepper, cilantro and black beans to the potato salad and gently mix to combine and coat all ingredients.
Chill for several hours until ready to serve.
- 1 3/4 cups mayonnaise
- Juice of 5 key limes of 1 regular lime (about 2 tablespoons)
- Zest of limes used (about 1 tablespoon)
- 2-3 tablespoons chipotle pepper adobo sauce
- 1 - 2 chipotle peppers, finely chopped (omit if less heat desired)
- 3/4 teaspoon cayenne
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 red skin potatoes, about 3-4 pounds, cooked, drained and cubed
- 2 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 3/4 cup finely diced red onion
- 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- Cook potatoes until fork tender, about 20 minutes depending on the size of the potato. Remove from the water and set aside to cool slightly. You want warm potatoes when you add the dressing.
- Combine all the ingredients, up to the potatoes, in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Place warm potatoes in a large bowl and pour the mixture over potatoes and mix well. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Add the corn, celery, red onion, red bell pepper, cilantro and black beans to the potato salad and gently mix to combine and coat all ingredients.
- Chill for several hours until ready to serve.
