Potato and Pea Salad with a twist! Chunks of potato covered in flavourful pea and herb dressing served with delicious slices of halloumi
Eating green has never been tastier
If we painted our bedroom walls green, we would feel relaxed and peaceful. However, if we painted our walls red, we would go insane. Someone once told me this, and for some strange reason, it stuck with me. Maybe it’s because I’m curious if there is any truth in this. I like both colours, but I don’t fancy waking up to these colours each morning, so I’ll have to stay curious.
One thing I know for sure is eating lots of greens is good for us, but eating greens can be BORING. But this is coming from me who is not the healthiest person out there! For me, a great tasting salad should have loads of flavour, and this usually comes from some fatty ingredients. We’re already eating healthy veggies so we can add some full-fat sour cream and mayonnaise and not feel as guilty!
So let’s whip out this exciting Potato and Pea Salad with Halloumi and watch everyone’s eyes light up.
It’s exciting because this is a potato salad with a delicious twist. We’ll be covering chunks of potatoes in a tasty pea and herb puree and will use it as a salad dressing. To make the puree, we blend peas, sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic, mint and chives. We then throw on some extra peas for texture and finish it with grilled halloumi for the win. Because adding halloumi makes everything tastier, and I may be a little too obsessed with it. It’s in my Prawn Watermelon Salad and I grated halloumi and turned them into delicious Halloumi and pea Fritters.
This potato and pea salad is perfect to bring with you to your next BBQ. It’s affordable to make, creative and super tasty. It’s that salad that you’ve been dreaming about but haven’t met until now!
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Lockdown with a few things broken!
All in the space of 3 weeks, our house is literally falling apart.
One night after dinner, I pulled open the dishwasher to place some dishes in. The door flung open like I had the power of Hercules because it came crashing down and split in half. I cursed under my breath as I had a little toddler lurking close by somewhere.
A few days later, my sister, Nara, was washing her clothes whilst we were all having lunch. My husband, Tomasi, goes “Can you hear that?” gesturing his head towards our laundry room. “The washing machine sounds strange.” Nara and I stopped eating to have a listen before agreeing that it sounded normal. A few minutes later, our washing machine chucked a blasting fit and died.
Yesterday, I was already having a horrible day in the kitchen. I was trying to cream my sugar and butter together in my stand mixer. It started beating at the highest speed like crazy for a few seconds, then whirled painfully slowly after. I turned off the machine, unplugged it to no avail. The thought of hurling my cake mixture across the room was a very tempting one, but the thought of having to clean it up afterwards saved me.
With lockdown restrictions tightening, we can’t leave further than 5 kilometres from our home and if we leave, it must be for essentials. Looks like we may have to use our hands for a while, just like the olden days!
Tonight from the kitchen I called out to Tomasi and Nara, “Hey, do you guys want to go out for dinner tonight” I got blank stares for a few seconds followed by howling laughter. At least we’re not broken yet and can still laugh!
Potato and Pea Salad with Halloumi
What I love about this salad is its versatile and would go lovely with lots of different proteins. The salad is actually quite filling and satisfying on its own.
If you’re planning to make this salad for a BBQ or a gathering, it’s best not to add halloumi cheese. When halloumi goes cold, it becomes really hard and tastes like plastic, it’s pretty much inedible. I recommend taking the salad as it is or adding bacon, ham, boiled eggs or even prawns in place of the halloumi.
To make this potato salad healthier and lower in calories, use low fat mayonnaise and sour cream. You could also swap potatoes with roasted pumpkin or sweet potatoes.
This salad can be a few hours in advance before serving, but don’t mix the potatoes with the dressing until it’s time to serve. Also, cook the halloumi just before serving.
Ingredients for Potato and Pea Salad with Halloumi
Potatoes – I used Baby Red potatoes, but any variety of potatoes will work. If using large potatoes, cut them into quarters before boiling. There’s no need to peel the potatoes prior to boiling, but you may do so if preferred.
Horseradish cream adds depth and flavour to the salad. Whole grain mustard, wasabi paste or dijon mustard will work in place of horseradish if preferred.
Halloumi Cheese is a hard cheese that comes with a small amount of brine. It has a delicious salty savoury taste with a springy and chewy texture that’s comparable to firm tofu. Halloumi is best fried or grilled before consumption and it will keep its shape without melting. Sliced boiled eggs will taste great in place of halloumi if preferred or why not add both to this salad!
How to make Potato and Pea Salad with Halloumi
Step-by-step guide with photos
Place the potatoes in a saucepan, add in the salt. Pour enough water to cover the potatoes at an inch in depth. Boil the potatoes on high heat for 20 to 25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. To check if the potatoes are ready, insert a skewer into the middle of it, it should pierce through with little pressure. Leave the water in the saucepan and transfer the potatoes onto a cooling rack or colander. Leave for 10 minutes to allow the steam to dry the potatoes.
Add the peas into the same saucepan and cook over high heat for 2 minutes. Drain the peas and set them aside.
Cut the potatoes into quarters or bite-size portions. In a food processor or blender, add in the sour cream, mayonnaise, horseradish, garlic, mint, chives, salt and 1.5 cups of peas (leave the remaining peas to add on top of salad). Blend the dressing ingredients together until it’s smooth and well combined. Gently mix the potatoes and dressing in a large bowl. Give it a taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
Pan-fry the halloumi and plate up
Slice the halloumi into 1cm in thickness. Brush a nonstick frying pan or grill plate with olive oil and heat it up on medium heat. Add in the halloumi and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until golden.
To serve, place the potatoes on a large plate, add the remaining peas and halloumi on top. Garnish with mint leaves.
Leftovers – Transfer the salad into a sealed container and refrigerate, it’ll be good for up to 3 days.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements.
A Third-Party Application calculated the calories and nutritional information. Please use this as an approximate guide only.
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Cheers (I’ll drink to that) – Cat Tre
Potato and Pea Salad with Halloumi
Ingredients
- 1 kilo baby potatoes (NOTE 1)
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2½ cup frozen peas
For pea dressing
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup whole egg mayonnaise
- 2 tsp horseradish cream (NOTE 2)
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup mint leaves (plus extra to garnish)
- 2 tbsp finely chopped chives
- salt and pepper to taste
For halloumi
- 225 gm halloumi (NOTE 3)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Place the potatoes in a saucepan, add in the salt. Pour enough water to cover the potatoes at an inch in depth. Boil the potatoes on high heat for 20 to 25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. To check if the potatoes are ready, insert a skewer into the middle of it, it should pierce through with little pressure. Leave the water in the saucepan and transfer the potatoes onto a cooling rack or colander. Leave for 10 minutes to allow the steam to dry the potatoes.
- Add the peas into the same saucepan and cook over high heat for 2 minutes. Drain the peas and set them aside.
- Cut the potatoes into quarters or bite-size portions. In a food processor or blender, add in the sour cream, mayonnaise, horseradish, garlic, mint, chives, salt and 1.5 cups of peas (leave the remaining peas to add on top of salad). Blend the dressing ingredients together until it's smooth and well combined. Gently mix the potatoes and dressing in a large bowl. Give it a taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
- Slice the halloumi into 1cm in thickness. Brush a nonstick frying pan or grill plate with olive oil and heat it up on medium heat. Add in the halloumi and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until golden.
- To serve, place the potatoes on a large plate, add the remaining peas and halloumi on top. Garnish with mint leaves.
