Recipe: Ernesto's Roasted Potato Salad

Ambiance counts for a lot, but it can’t mask a ho-hum menu – which is to say that the prettiest park in town can’t help a plain ol’ potato salad. Follow the lead of Ernesto’s Winebar’s chef Cassandra Vires, whose Roasted Potato Salad perks up picnic fare by roasting potatoes instead of boiling them and using the hearty flavors of tangy blue cheese and smoky bacon. We dare you to stop at one helping.

Roasted Potato Salad
Courtesy of Ernesto’s Winebar’s Cassandra Vires
4 servings

12 small red potatoes
1 cup plus 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 Tbsp. plus ½ tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 Tbsp. cracked black pepper
2 rosemary sprigs
3 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch cayenne pepper
¼ cup minced chives
2 egg yolks
1 tsp. lemon juice
4 oz. blue cheese
4 oz. diced pancetta, crisped
½ tsp. mustard seed

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

• In a small bowl, toss the potatoes, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon kosher salt and the cracked black pepper. 

• Place the potatoes onto a baking sheet and top with the rosemary sprigs. 

• Bake until soft, about 25 minutes. Cool completely.

• Combine the garlic, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, cayenne, chives, egg yolks and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor or blender and purée. With the motor running, slowly pour 1 cup of olive oil into the feed tube. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

• To serve, place three potatoes on a plate and flatten them with the palm of your hand. Season to taste with salt and pepper, drizzle with the aioli and sprinkle with crumbled blue cheese, pancetta and mustard seeds. Serve immediately.