Summer Vegetable and Potato Salad

I am officially on staycation. I made it back to the states safe and sound last Sunday, and have thoroughly been enjoying my time at home. There's been swimming, cuddling with puppers, and of course eating. I've also done a little car shopping, am still figuring out my cell phone situation, and oh yeah, I'm sick. Thankfully I'm not the kind of sick where I have body aches and chills, but the pain in my lungs when I cough cannot be overlooked.

Though I've been eating well since I've been home, I haven't been doing any cooking. Call me lazy, but when my mom asks me if I want her to make biscuits and gravy, I let her. Needless to say, this salad is perfect for a lazy dinner. My mom and I made this together, so it took zero time to make, and was fresh and satisfying. Actually, it was doubly satisfying, as many of the veggies were homegrown. The corn was grown in a friends garden, and my mom grew the tomatoes and basil. Oh basil, I love you.

As we were eating, we were brainstorming about other additions or changes. I think grilling the corn would add some lovely char, and maybe even some grilled zucchini. Either way, this recipe is highly adaptable. We ate it as a main dish, and for me, it was quite filling. My sister was still a little hungry after, while I couldn't quite finish my serving. I was already thinking about my favorite chocolate chip cookies I was going to make, so maybe I was subconciously saving room for those. There will be ice cream sandwiches in my near future. I love summer.

*Update: I'll be submitting this recipe to a monthly food blog event No Croutons Required. This is a monthly event featuring vegetarian soups and salads. I've been following for a little while, but this is my first entry. This month's challenge was to come up with a dish that is especially suited for summer. I think this dish fits the bill perfectly!

Summer Vegetable Potato Salad

Ingredients

1 pound small yellow or red new potatoes, sliced

2 fresh ears of corn, cooked, or 1 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed

4 roma tomatoes, cut into thin wedges, or you can use 12-15 halved cherry tomatoes like we did

1/4 cup fresh basil, torn

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot or red onion

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup feta cheese

Fresh basil leaves

Directions

In medium saucepan cook potatoes, covered, in enough boiling salted water to cover for 5 minutes, or just until tender. Drain and cool. Cut corn from cob. On large serving platter arrange the potatoes and tomatoes. Sprinkle with corn and 1/4 cup basil.

For dressing, in a screw-top jar combine oil, vinegar, shallot, mustard, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and shake well. Pour dressing over potato mixture. Sprinkle salad with feta cheese and basil leaves. Makes 8-10 servings.

Serves 4 as a main, 8-10 as a side.

Recipe Source: All-Time Favorite Recipes from the 2012 Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, a supplement to the Better Homes and Garden magazine.