When you are choosing potatoes for a recipe, remember that waxy potatoes and baby new potatoes are excellent for salads; large Kerr's Pinks or Golden Wonders are good for baking and Maris Pipers are the potato of choice by chefs for the best mashed potatoes.
Learn how to make delicious and easy to prepare salads
White bean saladThe fresh pungency of green basil leaves mixed with the sweetness of roast red peppers and a fruity olive oil turns a tin of white beans into an excellent salad. Serve with rustic bread.
Irish Potato salad recipe We sometimes forget our roots – potato salad, beetroot, a spring onion on a plate with half a boiled egg was a summer tea for an Irish child! This is an updated potato salad but it is sure to bring back memories.
Salad dressing Making a dressing that suits you is all about experimenting to find the one you like. Some salad leaves are bitter and you may prefer a sweeter dressing, others are full of water like iceberg lettuce and you may want an oilier, thicker dressing that clings to the leaves.
Summery Potato saladWe sometimes forget our roots – potato salad, beetroot, a spring onion on a plate with half a boiled egg was a summer tea for an Irish child! This is an updated potato salad but it is sure to bring back memories of hot Irish summers.
Parsley, Asparagus and Spring Onion SaladEvery so often you want a simple salad with clean healthy flavours, especially if you have been indulging in heavy or fatty foods. You can eat this on its own or serve it with a main dish.
Seared Tuna with Celeriac and Soy Salad Domini Kemp and her sister Peaches own the itsa bagel chain and the Itsa 4 restaurant in Sandymount, Dublin 4. 'I remember being in cookery school and Rick Stein – the great chef from Cornwall – gave us culinary wannabes a demonstration that produced such gorgeously delicious food that I have never forgotten it. He served some grilled tuna with guacamole that was utterly and perfectly seasoned and cooked. Unfortunately for many restaurants, it created a worthy barometer for all other tuna dishes.' Here's her favourite.
Caeser SaladThis is based on the original recipe for Caesar Salad using a coddled egg. You can add chicken to turn it into a Chicken Caesar quite easily!
Salad NicoiseA classic French salad, Salad Nicoise reflects the essence of good Mediterranean cooking - simple fresh ingredients used well. This recipe is from Vanessa Greenwood of Cook's Academy.
Cannellini Bean and Tomato salad Cannellini beans come pre-cooked in a tin so they are a timesaving base for a salad. This one combines tomatoes, chilli and red onion with fresh herbs and is served at room temperature so the flavours shine through.
Every so often you want a simple salad with clean healthy flavours, especially if you have been indulging in heavy or fatty foods. You can eat this on its own or serve it with a main dish.
