Here’s a delicious mashup of pasta salad and potato salad, that you can enjoy warm or chilled.

It was created by Priscilla Willis of She’s Cookin’, for Idaho Potato.

Priscilla shares that the pairing of pasta and potatoes is popular in the coastal region of Liguria in northwestern Italy, bordering France.

That’s not all: There are 30 more potato salad recipes below.

> The different types of pasta.

> The history of pasta.

> The different types of potatoes: a glossary.

> The history of potatoes.

> The history of potato salad.
 
 
RECIPE: PENNE & POTATO SALAD WITH SPRING VEGETABLES

Prep time is 10 minutes, and cook time is 20 minutes. Enjoy warm or chilled.
 
Ingredients

 
For The Arugula Pesto

 
Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil over medium-high heat. Blanche the asparagus for 2 minutes, then use tongs to remove to an ice bath.

2. ADD the sugar snap peas and cook for 2 minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a colander.

3. ADD additional water to the pot if necessary and bring the water to a boil; then add the pasta and potatoes. Cook according to package directions, usually 9-11 minutes which is sufficient time to cook the potatoes al dente as well.

4. DRAIN, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Remove the potatoes and set them aside to cool; they should be firm and will continue to cook. You do not want them to be soft or you won’t be able to slice them.

Do not rinse the pasta, so the sauce will coat the pasta instead of sliding off. Meanwhile…

5. ADD all of the pesto ingredients and half of the olive oil to a mini food processor. Pulse several times, stopping to scrape the mixture from the sides once or twice; then add the remaining olive oil. Pulse until fully incorporated.

6. LEAVING the skin on, slice the potatoes into 1/4-inch slices using a sharp knife or mandolin. (You may peel the potatoes if you prefer, but the skins add a nice color to the dish.

7. HEAT the pot with a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Transfer the pasta to the pot, and stir to break up clumps and coat the pasta with olive oil. Add the half cup of cooking liquid and mix in the pesto.

8. GENTLY FOLD in the asparagus and snap peas and reheat for 2-3 minutes, stirring once or twice to heat evenly. Serve in pasta bowls and garnish with a few shelled peas and toasted pine nuts.
 
 
30 MORE POTATO SALAD RECIPES

[1] Penne and potato salad with spring vegetables (photos #1 and #7 © Priscilla Willis Idaho Potato).

[2] Red jacket potatoes. Leaving the skin on adds color to the salad (photos #2, #4, and #5 © Good Eggs).

[3] Penne rigate—ridged penne, a popular cut (photo © Webstaurant Store).

[4] Sugar snap peas are some of the spring vegetables in the recipe.

[5] Asparagus joins the sugar snap peas in the penne-potato salad.

[6] It’s easy to turn fresh arugula into pesto (photo © Baldor Specialty Foods | Facebook).

[7] Arugula pesto is easy to make in a food processor.