Chipotle Black Bean Potato Salad

As soon as 2R’s Farm starts selling their purple potatoes at the Boulder Farmers’ Market, I can’t resist the urge to buy some nearly every week. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know of my affinity for brightly colored vegetables, and my special attraction to anything purple. So for most of the second half of the summer, we have a lot of purple potatoes. When I set out to make this dish, I discovered I was a bit scant on my supply, so I had to supplement with a few emergency red potatoes from the grocery store. (Next time I’ll be sure to grab an extra handful of the purples.)

For my last post, I shared my recipe for tzatziki potato sausage salad. This week I decided to make a potato salad based on one of our favorite recipes – Southwestern Potato Salad from Cooking Light Magazine. To avoid cooking too much in the kitchen since it’s so hot out, I decided to grill the peppers, onions, and sweet corn. I cooked the potatoes in the microwave, since honestly, I find that just as easy as doing it on the stovetop. You don’t want the peppers and onions to be too cooked, so just grill enough to get a bit of char on them.

Ingredients for Chipotle Black Bean Potato Salad

Chipotle Black Bean Potato Salad
adapted from Southwestern Potato Salad in Cooking Light Magazine
servers 4-6

1+1/2 lbs new potatoes
1+1/2 red bell peppers
1 red onion
3 ears sweet corn (about 1+1/2 cups kernels)
1 can black beans
1-3 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
3 tsp olive oil, divided
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tsp hot smoked Spanish paprika (or regular if you don’t want more heat)
1/2 tsp ground chipotle chile (optional)
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 -1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
liquid smoke (optional)

Cut the potatoes into 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces, and cook in boiling water until tender, either in the microwave or on the stovetop. (About 15-17 minutes in the microwave). Drain and set aside.

Cut the tops and bottoms off of the bell peppers, and then cut the pepper into 4 flat pieces (remove the seeds). Cut the red onion into about 1/3 inch thick slices. Remove the husks and silk from the sweet corn, but leave the ‘handles’ on.

You’ll want your grill on medium heat, and ideally use a basket or a grilling tray for the onions and peppers. Brush all the vegetables (both sides of the flat ones) with the first tsp of olive oil. Place everything on the grill.

Vegetables on the Grill

After about 3-5 minutes, once the bottom sides are just slightly charred, flip the peppers and onions, and turn the sweet corn by 1/3. After 3-4 more minutes, once the peppers and onions are just slightly charred on the other side, remove them from the heat, and turn the sweet corn again. Grill for an additional 3-4 minutes, then remove the sweet corn as well.

Grilled Vegetables

Let the vegetables cool, then cut the pepper into about 1/2 inch pieces, and dice the onions. Cut the kernels off of the corn cobs.

Dressing: Finely mince 1-3 of the chipotle chiles (depending on how hot they are, and how hot you want the potato salad). Combine the chipotle chiles, lime juice, hot smoked Spanish paprika, salt, and black pepper. Stir well, then taste. If you want more heat, add the ground chipotle.

Combine the potatoes and vegetables in a large bowl, then add the dressing, and stir to combine well. Taste and add a few shakes of liquid smoke if you want a smokier taste. Refrigerate for about an hour before serving.

Chipotle Black Bean Potato Salad

Nutritional Information:
per serving, 4 servings: 325 cals 5.2 g fat 9.5 g fiber
per serving, 6 servings: 215 cals 3.3 g fat 6.3 g fiber