Spring Potato Salad

It is spring, even though it already feels like summer, and with it comes all sorts of tender, young vegetables. The farmers market was full of glorious baby produce: tiny baby spring potatoes, fava beans, tiny zucchini, and tender small leeks. I came home with this random assortment of vegetables and decided to make a simple potato salad.

Instead of using mayonnaise as dressing, I make a thick avocado dressing that is equally creamy but much more flavorful.

2 cups baby spring potatoes
4 eggs
½ of a small avocado
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon finely minced chives
Salt and pepper
Water to thin out dressing
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups fava beans, about 16 large pods
1 cup baby leeks, rinsed and chopped
2 cups baby zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise
2 tablespoons finely minced chives
1. Boil potatoes and eggs to your liking. Make sure to salt the water that you boil the potatoes in. Cut each potato in half. Peel the eggs and also cut in half. Set aside.
2. Make dressing, in a blender or small food processor blend together the avocado, lime juice, and chives. I like to add the oil by hand so the dressing does not turn bitter. Add in salt and pepper. Thin out with water to your liking. I like mine to have the texture of mayonnaise.
3. Cook fava beans. Fill a medium pot halfway with cold water. Salt the water and bring to a boil. Remove fava beans from pods. Add in the fava beans and let water come back to a rolling boil. Immediately drain the fava beans and shock them in a bowl of iced water. Peel the white membrane off each of the fava beans. Lightly salt the beans and set aside.
4. In a small skillet sauté the leeks and zucchini in 1 tablespoon of butter until slightly softened. Season with salt and pepper
5. Toss the potatoes with some of the dressing. Sprinkle with chives. Divide among four plates. Top with egg, fava beans, leeks, and zucchini. Serve with extra dressing on the side.

What is your favorite spring produce?