SICILIAN POTATO SALAD RECIPE

Celebrating Chef Cathy Whims and The Italian Summer Kitchen

I’m thrilled to share a special moment of celebration for someone who has been a true inspiration in my career journey: the talented chef Cathy Whims from Portland. Cathy just launched her first cookbook, The Italian Summer Kitchen: Timeless Recipes for La Dolce Vita, and I couldn’t be more excited to see her beautiful recipes.

One of my go-to recipes from her new book is this refreshing Sicilian Potato Salad, a perfect dish for picnics or backyard barbecues. It doesn’t skimp on the olive oil (which I love) and is brightly flavored from the vinegar, olives and capers. Plus potatoes deserve so much more limelight as they’re the ideal nutrient-dense complex carb to fuel summer training.

Download the FREE printable recipe here.

A Little Backstory…

Cathy Whims and I first met 12 years ago when I had just finished culinary school in New York City and was returning to Portland after several years abroad. Cathy offered me a part-time gig helping with social media for her beloved Portland restaurant, Nostrana. It was more than a job—it was an invitation into a world where food, hospitality, and la dolce vita were deeply intertwined. Watching Cathy and her dedicated team in their element—sourcing the best local ingredients, mastering authentic Italian techniques, and creating a restaurant that felt both elevated and welcoming—left a lasting impression.

I didn’t stick with that social media gig for very long because I was pregnant with my first and I had terrible morning sickness. Photographing fragrant restaurant food isn’t the best when you’re in that first trimester. I still laugh at how many times Cathy offered me to join in on a wine tasting, but I had to sadly turn down the opportunity.

The Italian Summer Kitchen: Timeless Recipes for La Dolce Vita

Cathy’s cookbook captures everything that makes her food unforgettable: joyful recipes rooted in the Italian tradition of slowing down (yes many of these recipes take time). Think lots of olive oil, fresh herbs, homemade pasta, unique ingredients, and meals meant to be shared al fresco.

Cathy, congratulations on the launch of your beautiful book. Grab your copy of The Italian Summer Kitchen and bring a little more la dolce vita to your table!

Recipe: Sicilian Potato Salad

INSALATA PANTESCA 
WITH WILD OREGANO, CAPERS, AND OLIVES
SERVES 6

This is a very simple potato salad, but simple doesn’t mean basic. A few easy tricks make all the difference. First, I boil the potatoes in their skins to keep them from getting waterlogged. The less water they absorb, the more flavor they can soak up later. As for the dressing, it’s just oil and vinegar, but the key is adding the vinegar while the potatoes are still hot so they can pull in all that acidity while they cool. This is a recipe that benefits from the fruity or grassy flavor of olive oil, as it contrasts with the piquancy of the vinegar- soaked potatoes. It’s wise to be generous when adding it. It’s a really refreshing style of potato salad and much more suited to what you would want to eat in the summer than one cloaked in heavy mayonnaise.

✨ 6 medium (2 pounds total) Yukon Gold potatoes
✨ Sea salt
✨ ½ medium white, red, or sweet onion, halved and sliced thinly
✨ 2 to 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
✨ 4 large tomatoes, cut into 1- inch chunks, or 1 pint cherry tomatoes
✨ ½ cup pitt ed Gaeta or Cerignola olives, halved
✨ 1½ tablespoons salted capers, rinsed, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes, then drained
✨ 2 teaspoons dried Sicilian oregano, or 2 tablespoons fresh
✨ ½ to ¾ cup extra- virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat and salt generously. Lower the heat to medium and cook until tender but fi rm, about 25 minutes. Drain. Remove the skins while still warm but cool enough to handle, then cut the potato flesh into large chunks.

Place the warm potatoes and onion rings in a large bowl and sprinkle with the red wine vinegar. Let the potatoes absorb the liquid as they cool. Add the tomatoes, olives, capers, and oregano. Gently toss with ½ cup of olive oil until well combined, adding more, if necessary, to thoroughly coat. Season with salt to taste and add more vinegar if desired. This salad is best served at room temperature. Add another generous drizzle of oil before serving.

Download the FREE printable recipe here.