Spring potato salad

You might not be ready to ditch the winter coat just yet, but you can at least enjoy the abundance of fresh vegetables available at this time of year.

This potato salad makes the best that spring has to offer: jersey royals, wild garlic, asparagus, fresh peas and watercress in a simple dressing so you can really appreciate all the wonderful flavours. Add some spiky artichokes from Sardinia and you have a truly decadent lunch or dinner. I could stop there, but bacon and a soft-boiled egg takes it to the next level. 

At a glance, the recipe might look daunting, but it is actually very easy to make. Artichokes can be a bit fiddly the first few times you prepare them, but you'll soon get used to it and wish you'd tried it sooner. If you can't bare to, then skip them. It's still a great salad without. 

Serves two as a main course or 3 as a starter. 

Ingredients

For the dressing

4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp sherry or red wine vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the salad

500g small jersey royal potatoes, washed
Juice of 1 lemon
2 spiky artichokes
100g bacon lardons
5 leaves wild garlic, finely chopped
2 eggs, room temperature
250g fresh peas, shucked
6 spears asparagus
Small bunch watercress
Few sprigs parsley, leaves picked

Method

To make the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar and Dijon mustard in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Put the jersey royals in a large saucepan of cold water with a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, cook until just tender and drain.

Put a saucepan of water on to boil to cook the artichokes. To prepare the artichokes, put half of the lemon juice in a large bowl and fill with cold water. Peel away the tough outer leaves of the artichoke. Slice the tops of the leaves off. Trim the stalk to 2 inches, approx. Using a vegetable peeler or paring knife, trim any rough edges and the tough skin at the base of the flower and along the stalk. Put in the bowl with the lemon water.

Slice the artichokes in half, remove the chokes and any spiky leaves in the centre with a paring knife and discard. Add the rest of lemon juice to the pot of boiling water and add the artichokes. Cook for 5 minutes or until just tender. Remove the artichokes, quarter and toss in some of the dressing.

Keep the water boiling and add the asparagus. Cook until tender (2 mins approx.), remove and toss with the artichokes. Add the peas to the water and cook until tender (1-2 mins approx.). Drain and toss with the artichokes and asparagus.

Put on a small saucepan to boil for the eggs. When the water is boiling, add the eggs. Cook for approximately 6 minutes. Run under cold water and peel.

Heat a large frying pan over a high heat and add the bacon lardons. Fry until crispy. Add the cooked potatoes and fry for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir through the wild garlic and some of the dressing.

Make a bed of watercress on your serving plate(s), arrange the potatoes and other vegetables on top. Slice the soft-boiled eggs in half and add those too. Sprinkle over the parsley leaves.