You may have heard of the viral green goddess salad that’s been making the rounds on social media lately. I remember seeing green goddess dressing on the grocery store shelves back in the early 2000s but this has blown up again. This time there are all kinds of recipes that utilize this very green, very tasty, antioxidant-filled combination of flavors.
So what makes something “green goddess”? The name comes from a salad dressing that was first served in 1923 at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, named the green goddess after the play, The Green Goddess, which ran in the 1910s and teens and early 1920s. The play starred George Arliss, who reprised his role in both the 1923 and the 1930s film adaptations of the play. Arliss had played at the Palace, hence the connection.
The signature flavors of the dressing are tarragon, parsley, green onion or chives, and mayonnaise. Anything dressed with this combination could be called green goddess, proving that it’s not about the salad ingredients. A 1937 recipe from the LA Times for this dressing also called for anchovies, but our dressing is vegetarian.
Over the years tarragon vinegar, sour cream, and/or garlic have been added to some versions of the recipe. At this point we’re more than a century out from the first green goddess salad dressing which is plenty of time for a number of variations to have been created.
This fresh, crisp, bright dressing adds a refreshing flavor to any kind of salad- not just leafy green ones. When tossed with potatoes, celery, and some snap peas the result is a tasty and light summer dish that can be served at lunch, or at a BBQ , or even with a steak at dinner.
Green Goddess Potato Salad
Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 2 lbs red potatoes, quartered
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for the water
- black pepper to taste
- 4 oz snap peas, trimmed
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 1/2 cup celery leaves
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 3/4 cup fresh chopped parsley, plus extra for topping
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives, plus more for topping
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Preparation
- Add potatoes to heavily salted water in medium saucepan. Bring to boil and cook for 10 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and rinse with cool water. Pour potatoes in large bowl.
- To the boiling water add snap peas. Cook for 4 minutes. Remove and rinse with cold water. Add to potatoes. Add celery to bow and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- In food processor or blender pulse together celery leaves, mayonnaise, parsley, buttermilk, chives, lemon juice, tarragon, and dill.
- Add dressing to potato mixture. Toss to fully combine. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle extra parsley and chives on top to serve. Keep refrigerated for 1 hour before serving for flavors to combine.
Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman.