Exactly a year ago, I gave you a dish of fava beans with mint sauce. And a year before that, you got one of my first fava bean recipes, a simple sauté with olive oil and thinly sliced garlic. And lo, here we are again, with a salad of fava beans and new potatoes.

This annual redux is no accident — every May, my mother’s friend Francisco harvests his backyard fava bean crop and brings her a grocery bag full of the bright green pods. Francisco only bestows his beans on a select few recipients, as most people aren’t up for the manual labor required to free the beans from their pods and skins. Rest assured, it’s worth it — fava beans aren’t quick to prepare, but they are delicious.

Fava beans and potatoes complement each other well in this Moroccan-inspired salad. The recipe comes together just like a typical warm potato salad — while the potatoes are simmering, the beans are sautéed in Garlic Gold with diced onion and bell pepper, taking on a mellow sweetness. Next, the par-boiled potatoes are sliced and simmered in chicken stock. Finally, all of the vegetables are tossed with lemon juice and zest, along with a handful of freshly chopped mint.

This salad is great on its own for a light lunch, but it really shines as a sophisticated side dish. Serve it with grilled or roasted chicken rubbed with Ras el Hanout, and you’ve got an easy late spring/early summer meal.

Warm Fava Bean and Potato Salad (printer-friendly version)

serves 4

4 small (2 oz each) new potatoes
1 tsp. sea salt

1 Tbsp. Garlic Gold (nuggets in oil)
1/2 large yellow onion, diced into 1/2″ pieces
1 small bell pepper, diced into 1/4″ pieces
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 C. shelled, peeled fava beans (2 lbs. in pod)

1/4 C. chicken broth

zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 sprigs mint, chopped

1. Place the potatoes and salt in a medium (2-quart) saucepan and fill with cold water, up to 2 inches from the top of the saucepan.

2. Cover saucepan and place on stove over a medium flame. When the water begins to boil, turn down to low and let simmer for 15 minutes.

3. While the potatoes are simmering, heat the Garlic Gold oil in a medium (10-inch) nonstick skillet over a medium flame. Add the onions, bell pepper, salt, and pepper. Cover, and let cook for 10 minutes.

4. Add the fava beans to the skillet, cover again, and let cook for another 5 minutes.

5. Transfer the onion/pepper/fava bean mixture to a medium mixing bowl.

6. Drain the potatoes, then while they are still hot, quarter and slice them into 1/8″ thick pieces.

7. Put the sliced potatoes into the same skillet that you used to sauté the onions, again over medium heat. Add the chicken broth, cover, and let simmer for 5 minutes, until potatoes are tender and cooked through.

8. Add the potatoes to the bowl with the rest of the vegetables. Add the lemon zest, juice, and mint to the bowl, toss to combine, and add more salt and pepper to taste. Let sit at least 20 minutes before serving.