I decided to try a twist on a favorite classic.

Roasted Potato Salad with Avocado Lime Dressing in a bowl topped with avocado and slice of lime from themerchantbaker.com

Roasted Potato Salad with Avocado Lime Dressing. This dish was inspired by two things: our love of Cilantro Lime Rice and the Creamy Avocado Sauce from Southwestern Egg Rolls, which I swear my family practically eats with a spoon. Oh, wait..and a third thing…my love for a good homemade potato salad.

I’m not the only potato salad lover in my family. My mother used to tell me a story about when she was young and growing up in a house where braciole, stuffed artichokes and fougasse were typical fare. One day she went to play at a friend’s house and ended up joining her friend’s family for lunch. On the menu that day was potato salad. She had never heard of potato salad let alone eaten it. The way she recounted it to me it was like she had just sipped the nectar of the gods. She was bowled over by it. She told me she marched home angrily and demanded to know “HOW COME WE’VE NEVER HAD POTATO SALAD?!?” The vision she painted of that day still makes me laugh. I always imagine it as an episode of The Little Rascals.

Raw halved fingerling potatoes in a bowl to make Roasted Potato Salad with Avocado Lime Dressing from themerchantbaker.com

As much as I love potato salad, I don’t make or eat it often. I usually save it for picnics or larger summer get togethers. If I’m being honest, I probably don’t make it because if there’s not a large group to consume it, the leftovers would probably (and happily) become a main dish meal for me and that’s kind of the opposite of my daily plan to eat lean proteins and veggies :)

A closeup image of Roasted halved potatoes to make Roasted Potato Salad with Avocado Lime Dressing from themerchantbaker.com

For this dish, I decided to roast the potatoes. You can boil them if you wish, but I wanted some of that extra roasted toasted flavor and texture. Of course, the day that I made this, it wasn’t 90 degrees, so use your judgement on deciding to heat up the kitchen.

Celery was mandatory for crunch, and then I decided to add green onions for a milder onion flavor and to continue with the green theme of the salad. Lime, cilantro and avocado almost always travel together in our house, so they went in as a no brainer. I had originally planned to add hard boiled eggs as I would normally, but decided it didn’t need it since I was already adding the avocado. And, I didn’t want the other flavors to get over powered by the eggs.

Lime dressing in a blender to make Roasted Potato Salad with Avocado Lime Dressing from themerchantbaker.com

The dressing was inspired by the sauce from Southwestern Egg rolls. As I said before, my family loves this stuff. They scoop up copious amounts each time they dip their egg rolls into it which got me thinking of other ways to use it. I adapted it for this recipe and it worked beautifully

A closeup photo of Roasted Potato Salad with Avocado Lime Dressing topped with avocado from themerchantbaker.com

And that’s how this Roasted Potato Salad with Avocado Lime Dressing was born. The flavors of Cilantro Lime Rice mashed up with a creamy and delicious avocado dressing. My family loved it and I’m sure if I had made extra dressing, they probably would have ladled more on top.

Yes, there were leftovers. And yes, they did practically become a main dish for lunch the next day…

A bowl of Roasted Potato Salad with Avocado Lime Dressing with fork and limes in the background from themerchantbaker.com

with some lean protein and veggies, of course :)

Roasted Potato Salad with Avocado Lime Dressing

Yield: 6 -8 servings

Roasted Potato Salad with Avocado Lime Dressing. A delicious twist on a classic summer salad. It's the potato salad "friend" of cilantro lime rice!

Ingredients

2 pounds small roasting potatoes, I used fingerlings
1 Tablespoon olive oil
kosher salt and pepper
juice from half a lime
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 green onions, white and green parts, chopped
1/2 avocado, chopped
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

For the dressing:

3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons sour cream, I used light
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 Tablespoon chopped green onion
1/8-1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1/2 avocado, chopped
cilantro, lime and avocado for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Wash and dry potatoes. Cut potatoes in half then toss them with the tablespoon of olive oil until they are completely coated.
Place on a baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes. Flip/stir potatoes and roast for another 15-20 minutes or until tender and golden brown. Cooking time will vary depend on the size of your potatoes.
Remove from oven and immediately squeeze the juice of half a lime over the potatoes. Set aside while you make the dressing.
For the dressing, blend all ingredients from mayonnaise through the 1/2 avocado in a blender or small food processor until smooth. You will have the other half of the avocado to use for the salad. Squeeze some lime juice on it to prevent browning.
Place potatoes in a large bowl and add celery, green onions, the chopped avocado and cilantro. Stir gently to combine.
Add the dressing and stir until all potatoes are nicely coated. Taste and add salt and/or pepper if needed.
Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Garnish with additional chopped avocado, cilantro and lime, if desired.

Notes

*I like to serve this with a wedge of lime to squeeze on top because for me, there almost can't be too much lime with this salad. Love it!

*If you prefer not to roast the potatoes, simply boil them instead, cooking until tender. Drain and proceed with recipe.

*Dressing inspired and adapted from Cake and Allie