Grilled Potato Salad with Honey Chipotle Vinaigrette
Potato salad is delicious, but it’s even tastier when the potatoes are cooked over the open flames of a grill and crisp, seasonal veggies are added to the mix. The smoky char that develops on the outside of the potatoes and corn is where it’s at!
This Grilled Potato Salad with Honey Chipotle Vinaigrette is the perfect summer side dish. The great thing about this salad is that it can be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. If you’re hosting a cookout or summer gathering, your to-do list on the day of the party just got a bit shorter.
This salad was inspired by my recent trip to the farmers’ market. I loaded my market bag with sweet corn, the most vibrant red peppers, spicy jalapeño peppers, and the cutest container of baby potatoes. In an effort to create a heat-tolerant potato salad, I chose a vinaigrette rather than a mayonnaise-based dressing.
I always make my own vinaigrettes and dressings when I’m serving a salad. It’s easy enough, cost effective, and always proves tastier than the store-bought version. We eat salad every week, so I always prep at least one vinaigrette and one creamy dressing at the beginning of each week for us to drizzle over our heaping plate of whatever salad we’re eating that week.
My secret to a delicious vinaigrette is always a drizzle of honey. It helps balance the tart and tangy acid and adds a hint of sweetness that I find necessary in any good vinaigrette.
Honey is my favorite way to naturally sweeten many of my favorite recipes. I use it to sweeten my Honey Orange Iced Chai Tea, I drizzle it over my morning yogurt bowl, and I shake it into my weekend cocktails.
The balance of sweet, smoky, and zesty is what I love so much about the honey chipotle vinaigrette that gets folded into the bowl of seasonal veggies and creamy potatoes. This salad is seriously addictive. I prefer to serve this salad at room-temperature, so I like to pull it out of the refrigerator an hour or two prior to serving. If you’re not serving the salad right away, refrain from adding the vinaigrette until the day you’re ready to serve it.
This fresh and vibrant salad pairs perfectly with grilled meat, poultry, or beefy portobello mushrooms. Either way you choose to dish it up, it’s delicious.
Grilled Potato Salad with Honey Chipotle Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
Salad:
- 1 lb. baby potatoes, cut in half
- 2 ears corn, husk removed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 jalapeno, seeds removed and minced
- ½ cup diced red pepper
- 3 tablespoons finely diced red onion
- 3 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- salt and pepper
Vinaigrette:
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1 tablespoon chipotle in adobo puree
- 2 teaspoons honey
- ¼ cup olive oil
- salt and pepper
Directions:
- Place the potatoes in a large pot. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring the water to a boil. Continue to cook until the potatoes are just shy of fork tender, about 6-7 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Allow the potatoes to cool completely in the colander.
- While the potatoes cool, preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Place the room temperature potatoes in a grill skillet or grill basket. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over the potatoes and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the corn and season with salt and pepper.
- Place the potatoes and corn on the grill. Grill the potatoes, stirring occasionally, until they become fork tender and begin to form a crispy char on the outside, about 5-7 minutes. Grill the corn, turning every few minutes, until the kernels become slightly charred on all sides, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from the grill and allow the corn to cool long enough to handle.
- Remove the kernels from the cob. Place the potatoes and the corn in a large bowl. Add the remaining salad ingredients. Gently fold to combine. If you’re serving the salad immediately, add the dressing and fold to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If you’re making the salad ahead of time, transfer the potato mixture to an airtight container and place in the refrigerator to chill. Remove the salad 1-2 hours before serving to allow the salad to come to room temperature. Fold in the dressing and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- To make the dressing, add all of the ingredients to a mason jar. Screw on the lid and shake vigorously to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Disclosure: This recipe was developed for the lovely folks at the National Honey Board. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting my recipes and site while I work with brands I adore.