This Warm Kale Roasted Potato Salad with Cilantro Mint Pesto Vinaigrette is out of this world delicious! The combination of cilantro and mint produces the most beautiful flavor. The roasted potatoes add a wonderful crispness along with the heartiness of the kale. It’s more of a meal than a side dish.
I have to say that I am a self-proclaimed cat lady minus the cats. I had three cats during my childhood and four during my adult life to date. Robby and I have moved many times so we decided not to have any animals. Luckily, we still have cats in our lives. The last place we lived there was an orange cat named Nala who lived across the street. When the owners of Nala first got him they thought he was a female cat, hence the name Nala. It still seemed to suit him. He was a character, to say the least.
One day, Robby and I were on a walk and Nala came running towards us and meowed so loud like he was saying, HEY GUYS, I’m here! Then he turned around and ignored us. We both stood there puzzled saying, “what the heck was that all about?” He roamed all over the neighborhood, including the beach where we would find him wondering on the rocks in search of small critters. One day I noticed Nala prowling around our garden so I opened the door and invited him into our house. He wondered around sniffing everything out and then he decided to sprawl out on my yoga mat and made himself at home. It was so funny because he sat on his butt leaning back with his legs stretched out in front of him. He looked like he was doing a yoga pose.
We have another orange cat friend that lives close to where we live now and he has a similar personality to Nala. We don’t know his name so Robby named him Fur-red. Haha, so cute! We also see him wondering all over the place. Like Nala, he came running towards us the other day loudly meowing. He wanted to say hi and gets some pets.
Last but not least is our friend’s daughter Paloma’s black cat named Olive that we have spent a lot of time with. She is something else! The individual personalities of cats have always amazed and intrigued me.
This salad pairs nicely with a Sparkling wine like a Cava.
Warm Kale Roasted Potato Salad with Cilantro Mint Pesto Vinaigrette - CaliZona
Ingredients
- Cilantro Mint Pesto Vinaigrette - recipe below
- 1 Head of Kale
- 2 Roasted Diced Potatoes - recipe below
- 2 Carrot - peeled
- 1 Red Bell Pepper - diced
- 1/2 Cup Cilantro
- 1/2 Cup Mint
Cilantro Mint Pesto Recipe:
- 1 Cups Cilantro Leaves - packed
- 1/2 Cup Mint Leaves - packed
- 1/2 Cup Raw Almonds or walnuts
- 1/2 Cup Aged Asiago or Parmesan Cheese
- 1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Champagne Vinegar or vinegar of your choice
- 3/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt or to taste
Potatoes
- 2 Russet Potatoes - diced
- 3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt
- Dash Black Pepper
Instructions
Pesto vinaigrette
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Finely grate the cheese, measure everything and put in a food processor or blender except olive oil then blend while slowly adding oil. Set aside.
Potatoes
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Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Place the oven rack in the middle of the oven.
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Turn the oven on to broil.
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Wash the potatoes.
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Add water to a large bowl.
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Dice the potatoes then place them in the bowl of water for a couple of minutes to remove excess starch.
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Drain the water and save the bowl for later.
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Add a couple inches of water to a large pot with a steam rack inside.
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Add the potatoes onto the steam rack, cover and bring to a boil then turn down to medium-high heat. Cook for 10 minutes.
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Add the olive oil, salt and pepper to the bowl.
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Drain the potatoes and dump them into the bowl and carefully stir to coat the potatoes with the oil.
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Spread them out in a single layer on the parchment-lined baking sheet and let cool. This will help them become crispier.
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Place in the oven.
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Set a timer for 10 minutes and then stir the potatoes.
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Set the timer for 10 more minutes and stir. Check and see if they are brown enough for you or set the timer for 5 minutes. A total of 20 to 25 minutes or until nice and golden brown.
Salad
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While the potatoes are cooling, prepare the kale, carrots and red peppers.
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Put the veggies in a large bowl.
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In a small pan, on medium-low heat, add the pesto and cook until warm. About 5 minutes.
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Stir in the veggies and kale.
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Scoop the salad onto a large plate or bowl and top with the fresh mint and cilantro.
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Top with the roasted potatoes onto individual salads. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
You can also serve this salad cold. If you plan to have leftovers, the potatoes will still be good but the texture won't be so great the 3rd day. You can also mix everything together and heat up all the leftovers.
