Italian Potato Salad, Recipe, Darci Hannah

Darci Hannah: Last month my husband, who has a home office in the room next to mine, sent me an email with a link to a recipe. No explanation, no “Hey honey, check this out!” no nothing, just a link. I found this extremely odd because my husband seldom sends me emails because he can just walk on over to my desk and tell me what he has to say. But no, I got an email. What was even stranger was that the recipe link he sent was for potato salad and my husband has never eaten potato salad. He hates any mayonnaise-based cold salad, including tuna salad, chicken salad, and my personal favorite, egg salad. He also has never tried the many delicious varieties of pasta salad that the boys and I love so much either. The guy has serious issues regarding cold salads, and in our family he’s the only one with this affliction. So, you can imagine my surprise when I got a link to a cold potato salad. 

Of course, I gave a good huff of indignation, stood up from my desk, and marched right over to his. “Why on earth did you send me a link to Italian Potato Salad? You won’t eat potato salad. Is this some kind of a joke?”

Apparently, it wasn’t. As he calmly explained to me, he ran across an article in Health & Fitness Magazine that was extolling the virtues of Italian potato salad, especially for those who are watching their diets. Honestly, I had never heard of Italian Potato Salad, but then again, I’m usually the last person to jump on a food trend. I was just happy he was entertaining the idea of a potato salad. Why this recipe appealed to my husband was because this potato salad didn’t require any yucky mayonnaise, according to him. Also, the starch in a potato that is cooked, then chilled becomes a resistant starch, which is better for you and slower to digest. This caused me to go down the rabbit hole of Italian Potato Salad, inspiring me to come up with my own version. I call this a good starting point. I’ve been making this delicious salad regularly this summer and often add little slices of mozzarella cheese and slivers of hard Italian salami to make it even more delicious. Feel free to add your upgrades!

Italian Potato Salad

Ingredients:

For the dressing:

2 garlic cloves freshly minced

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

For the salad:

2 lbs of small, waxy potatoes like Yukon Gold or red skin potatoes, cut in half

12 oz fresh green beans trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1 medium red onion thinly sliced

1 cup Castelvetrano olives, or whatever olives you like

¼ cup Italian parsley, finely chopped

1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest

Directions:

Make the dressing: Using a small mixing bowl whisk together the garlic, red wine vinegar, the oregano, mustard, salt and pepper. Let sit for a minute to allow the flavors to blend, then slowly whisk in the olive oil. Set aside.

Cut the potatoes in half or into 1-inch chunks, leaving skins on. Place them in a large pot of cold salted water and bring the pot to a boil. Let potatoes cook for 10 to 15 minutes until they are tender when pierced with a fork. Remove the potatoes.

Wash and trim the green beans, cutting them into 2-inch pieces. Prepare an ice bath by filling a mixing bowl with cold water and ice. Using the same pot as the potatoes, bring the water back to a boil. Add the green beans and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until they are bright green. The beans should be crisp, not mushy. Immediately transfer the beans to the ice water bath to stop them from cooking further. Drain before using them.

Prepare the remaining vegetables and add them to a large serving bowl. You can slice the onions very thin and add them to the vinaigrette dressing. This will help them mellow and blend with the flavors in the dressing. Zest the lemon and set it aside for garnish.

Add the warm potatoes and cooled green beans to the bowl, toss and add the vinaigrette dressing. Toss again to coat all the vegetables. The warm potatoes will absorb the dressing better and make them more flavorful. Allow the salad to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with lemon zest and serve. Store leftovers in the refrigerator. You can also make this potato salad ahead of time and serve it cold. It’s good either way.

You can print a copy of the recipe HERE!

What's your favorite go to summer salad? 

Darci Hannah is the bestselling author of the Beacon Bakeshop Mystery Series, the Food & Spirits Mystery Series, the Very Cherry Mystery Series, and two works of historical fiction, The Exile of Sara Stevenson, and The Angel of Blythe Hall. Darci grew up in the Midwest and currently lives in a small town in Michigan with her husband and two dogs. Darci is a lifelong lover of the Great Lakes, a natural wonder that inspires many of her stories. Passionate about family, dogs, food, baking, history, books, lighthouses, laughter, good conversations, coffee, and the paranormal, Darci feels especially blessed to have found a way to combine her interests in the stories she writes. It brings her great joy to be able to share them with you. 

Connect with Darci at www.darcihannah.com

Instagram: @authordarcihannah

Facebook: @Author Darci Hannah

Murder at the Campfire Cookout

By Darci Hannah

Book #7 in the Beacon Bakeshop Mystery Series

ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!

When Lindsey Bakewell leaves behind her lighthouse bakeshop, her boyfriend, Rory, and her Newfoundland dog, Wellington, for a glamping trip with her mother in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the bears leave them alone—but a killer doesn’t. . .

Converting the old Beacon Point lighthouse into a bakery is as adventurous as Lindsey cares to get. Her mother, Ellie, a former 80s fashion model, likes her creature comforts even more—until she sees a business opportunity for her Beacon Harbor fashion boutique when she’s invited by the Mitten Kittens Glamping Club on a woodsy getaway.

Far from roughing it, the ladies will be warm and cozy in chic vintage campers. Ellie insists Lindsey come along to win the campfire cookout contest. Campfire cooking has come a long way from bacon and beans. Soon Lindsey is making pizza, berry cobbler, and gooey Carmelita camping bars.

But the festive spirit is soon dampened when a body is found in Ellie’s camper. It seems like an accidental death until everyone’s tires are slashed and it’s clear the glampsite has become a crime scene. With no cell service to call for help, it’s up to Lindsey to smoke out the killer around the campfire . . .

Because no one is out of the woods yet.

A Spirited Supper at Dundoon Castle

By Darci Hannah

Book #2 in the Food & Spirits Mystery Series

ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!

When chef Bridget “Bunny” MacBride got a role on the reality show Food & Spirits, she thought “spirits” meant cocktails. Instead, she’s cooking up dinners meant to tempt the departed to appear. And to her surprise, she’s discovered abilities to connect with the beyond—and crack murder cases . . .

Now that Bunny’s entrées come with a side of the Other Side, it comes in handy to have a grandma who’s friendly with the elderly owners of a haunted Scottish castle. During Bunny’s childhood she heard all about Dundoon’s bloody history and the “ghostly piper” who roamed the grounds—and soon she’ll be visiting the ancient place with her ghost hunter and psychic co-stars. The annual bagpipe competition in the late piper’s honor will make for some good footage as well. 

After Bunny serves a feast fit for a 17th century king, including lamb chops with plenty of fresh herbs, she heads outdoors for the ghost hunt. But in the dark, dense fog, someone fatally plunges from the clifftop over the loch. The sound that follows is a mournful, otherworldly bagpipe . . . and once the body of another perished piper is retrieved, Bunny is determined to solve this Highlands homicide—and prevent a killer from getting off scot-free . . .

COMING FEBRUARY 23, 2027

A TOAST TO AGATHA CHRISTIE’S GHOST

By Darci Hannah

Book #3 in the Food & Spirits Mystery Series

ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!

Chef Bunny MacBride has gotten roped into a ghost-hunting reality show called Food & Spirits, creating dishes to whet the appetites of apparitions. Along the way, she’s discovered she has some supernatural gifts of her own—and an eerie knack for solving murders…

The cast and crew are on Burgh Island, at a restored Art Deco hotel that boasts Agatha Christie as its most famous guest—and now its most famous ghost. They’re filming at a murder-mystery weekend, and Bunny expects it to be more kooky than spooky. But she’s excited to meet the renowned resident chef and delighted to run into her Granny Mac playing the role of Miss Marple. As a bonus, her romance with costar Brett continues to simmer.

The downside is dealing with arrogant guests like Buckley Thorne, who sends back her beetroot salad and demands whipped cream for her peach Melba. Then the show’s phony psychic, Giff, insists on playing Poirot, complete with an absurdly bad accent. When it turns out the victim role is assigned to Buckley Thorne, she feels a touch of satisfaction—until she realizes he’s doing too good a job of playing dead . . .

Shocked to learn Buckley’s true identity, Bunny has to change course once again from cook to crime-solver. She’d sensed an undercurrent of drama at the dead man’s table—and with help from the spirit of the world’s greatest mystery writer, she’s looking closely at the victim’s handsome son, much-younger wife, and elegant circle of friends to conjure up a solution . . .

Roasted Apricot and Ricotta Toast from Leslie Budewitz

LESLIE BUDEWITZ:  Move over, Avocado Toast, and make room for a new friend. 

Readers sometimes ask where we get our recipes, and my usual answer is something like “anywhere and everywhere.” I found this one in a free magazine I picked up at the natural food store. It’s easy and yummy. We served it with dinner the first time, and since I had a little ricotta and two roasted apricot halves left over, I plopped them onto toast the next morning. They are also terrific for an easy summer brunch. 

Zest is one of those small things that pack a big flavor punch. A few years ago, my BFF was visiting and sat at my kitchen counter while I cooked. Could she help, she asked. Zest this orange, I replied, and handed her a cutting board, an orange, and a box grater. She was not impressed. The next day, she and her husband visited the local kitchen shop and brought me a microplane. This is why we’ve been BFF since we met at 19. 

Save a beauty like this Avocado Toast for another day -- and season!

I popped the toast into the oven after the fruit came out, but used a regular toaster the next morning; both worked beautifully. Some recipes I’ve seen call for oiling the toast before topping. Not necessary, though if I were following another recipe suggestion and using prosciutto, I’d oil the hot toast, lay down the prosciutto, then spread the ricotta and top with fruit and thyme. If we had a toaster oven, I’d use it for both the fruit and the toast, and oil the bread first.  

If your loaf of bread is bigger than mine, you may fit more apricot halves on each slice. We’re now making extra and planning ahead while fresh apricots are still available! 

PS: I finally figured out how to embed a PDF of the recipe for easy printing. 

Scroll down to the 💕 for the link. 

Roasted Apricot and Ricotta Toast 

For the apricots: 

4 fresh apricots, halved and pitted

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

4 sprigs fresh thyme

For the ricotta:

1/2 cup ricotta, whole or part-skim 

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon lemon zest

2 slices sourdough bread, toasted

Heat oven to 375 degrees. (A toaster oven would work nicely.) 

Place apricots on a small baking sheet, cut-side up. Drizzle with oil and honey. Top with the thyme sprigs. Roast until the fruit is soft and lightly caramelized, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven. 

While the fruit is roasting, place the ricotta in a mall bowl. Add the honey and zest and mix well.

Toast the bread. 

Spread with ricotta and top with roasted fruit. Use your fingers to strip the thyme leaves onto the fruit. (They might seem too dry and crunchy to eat, but they soften quickly.) 

Enjoy -- and repeat! 

💕 Click here for a free printable PDF! 

At Seattle Spice Shop, owner Pepper Reece has whipped up the perfect blend of food, friends, and flavor. But the sweet smell of success can be hazardous . . .  

Spring is in full bloom in Pike Place Market, where Pepper is celebrating lavender’s culinary uses and planning a festival she hopes will become an annual event. When her friend Lavender Liz offers to share tips for promoting the much-loved—and occasionally maligned—herb, Pepper makes a trek to the charming town of Salmon Falls. But someone has badly damaged Liz’s greenhouse, throwing a wrench in the feisty grower’s plans for expansion. Suspicions quickly focus on an employee who’s taken to the hills. 

Then Liz is found dead among her precious plants, stabbed by a pruning knife. In Salmon Falls, there’s one in every pocket. 

Pepper digs in, untangling the tensions between Liz and a local restaurateur with eyes on a picturesque but neglected farm, a jealous ex-boyfriend determined to profit from Liz’s success, and a local growers’ cooperative. She’s also hot on the scent of a trail of her own, sniffing out the history of her sweet dog, Arf. 

As Pepper’s questions threaten to unearth secrets others desperately want to keep buried, danger creeps closer to her and those she loves. Can Pepper root out the killer, before someone nips her in the bud?

Available at Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Books-A-Million * Bookshop.org * and your local booksellers!

ALL GOD'S SPARROWS AND OTHER STORIES: A STAGECOACH MARY FIELDS COLLECTION, now available in in paperback and ebook 

Take a step back in time with All God's Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection of historical short mysteries, featuring the Agatha-Award winning "All God's Sparrows" and other stories imagining the life of real-life historical figure Mary Fields, born into slavery in 1832, during the last thirty years of her life, in Montana. Out September 17, 2024 from Beyond the Page Publishing.  

“Finely researched and richly detailed, All God’s Sparrows and Other Stories is a wonderful collection. I loved learning about this fascinating woman . . . and what a character she is! Kudos to Leslie Budewitz for bringing her to life so vividly.” —Kathleen Grissom, New York Times bestselling author of Crow Mary

Available at Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Books-A-Million * Bookshop.org * and your local booksellers!

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Spice Shop Mysteries set in Seattle's Pike Place Market, and the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries, set in NW Montana. As Alicia Beckman, she writes moody, standalone suspense, most recently Blind Faith. She is the winner of Agatha Awards in three categories: Best Nonfiction (2011), Best First Novel (2013), and Best Short Story (2018). Her latest books are To Err is Cumin, the 8th Spice Shop Mystery and All God's Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection, in September 2024. Watch for Lavender Lies Bleeding, the 9th Spice Shop Mystery, on July 15, 2025.

A past president of Sisters in Crime and former national board member of Mystery Writers of America, Leslie lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine. 

Swing by Leslie's website and join the mailing list for her seasonal newsletter. And join her on Facebook where she shares book news and giveaways from her writer friends, and talks about food, mysteries, and the things that inspire her.

Lobster Roll. Whatever you do, don’t use mayonnaise! by Ang Pompano

Ang Pompano: We’re pretty particular about lobster rolls here in Connecticut. I was raised here, and when I was young, I worked lobster traps with my cousins. The recipe was practically encoded in my DNA.

A Connecticut lobster roll features warm chunks of lobster meat served on a toasted, buttered split-top hot dog bun, with plenty of melted butter to bring out the meat’s natural sweetness and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Pair it with a fresh ear of corn, and you’re in heaven.

Head north to Maine, however, and the story changes. Maine certainly produces incredible mystery writers, but when it comes to lobster rolls, I'm afraid the evidence points elsewhere. Order one up there, and you’ll be handed cold lobster meat mixed with celery, pickle relish, and mayonnaise. With all due respect to Vacationland, that isn’t a lobster roll. That’s a lobster salad sandwich.

As I said, some Nutmeggers are purists. In fact, the first time I drafted this post, lobster was out of season, so I substituted langostino. Since langostino tastes remarkably similar to lobster, I was feeling pretty resourcefully proud of myself until a friend set me straight.

“Langostino isn’t lobster,” they pointed out.

I scrapped the post on the spot and waited for lobster season. Having now made the real thing, I’ll admit there’s no substitute. But if you’re ever in a pinch and genuine lobster is out of reach, give langostino a try until you can get the real deal.

Just whatever you do, don't use mayonnaise!

Ingredients (Makes 2 rolls)

The photo shows enough for four even though my recipe is for two.

 2 cooked lobster tails, the meat chopped into bite-sized chunks

 ½ stick unsalted butter (plus extra for spreading on the buns)

2 New England-style flat-sided split-top buns

 A fresh lemon

 Salt and fresh black pepper to taste

Preparation Steps

Toast the Buns: Set aside on serving plates.

I  couldn’t find the New England-style flat-sided split-top buns, so I used regular hot dog buns. (So much for being a purist.)

 Cook the Lobster in boiling water until red. Then pull the meat from the tail and chop into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

 Melt the ½ stick of butter in a saucepan over low heat.

Add the lobster meat and gently toss until warmed through (about 2–3 minutes). Do not overcook

Assemble: 

Divide the warm, buttered lobster evenly between the toasted buns. 

Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top and a light pinch of salt and pepper.

Spoon any remaining liquid butter over top. 

Serve warm with an ear of corn.

Readers, what about you? Is there a dish you’re a purist about? Tell us below and leave your email address to be entered in a drawing for a copy of Diet of Death, the first in the Reluctant Food Columnist series. 

And don't forget Simmering Secrets, the second book in the series, will drop November 3. 

Ang Pompano is a mystery author, editor, publisher, and blogger. He writes the Blue Palmetto Detective Agency, and the Reluctant Food Columnist series, both published by Level Best Books. In addition to his writing, Ang is a co-founder of Crime Spell Books and serves as co-editor of the Best New England Crime Stories anthology. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, Annette, an artist, and their two rescue dogs, Dexter and Alfie.

Diet of Death

by Ang Pompano

The first in the Reluctant Food Columnist Series

Betty Ann Green is a beloved culinary icon…who doesn’t exist. She is the brilliant, beautiful illusion created by two unlikely collaborators. Behind the façade is Quincy Lazzaro, a culinarily challenged writer whose witty, sharp prose is the public face of Betty, while those flawless, genius recipes are all thanks to his octogenarian neighbor, Mary Ticarelli.

When the arrogant diet guru, Dr. Alan Tolzer, inventor of the Westport Diet, demands a face-to-face interview, Quincy reluctantly steps in as Betty’s frontman, only for Tolzer to drop dead. The police call it natural causes, but Quincy knows better. He sees it as the investigative break he’s been waiting for.

Now, caught between a crime-solving grandma, a no-nonsense detective girlfriend, and a killer who may be one step ahead, Quincy must unravel the mystery before the killer strikes again.

Simmering Secrets

by

Ang Pompano

Book Two in the Reluctant Food Columnist Series

Coming November 3, 2026

When celebrity chef Connie Langston collapses dead during a glittering anniversary gala at the prestigious Langston Culinary Arts Academy, struggling investigative reporter Quincy Lazzaro suspects there’s more on the menu than champagne and truffle risotto.

Unfortunately, Quincy has problems of his own. He’s secretly ghostwriting a wildly successful food column under the fake name Betty Ann Green, dodging anonymous texts from someone threatening to expose him, and trying to save his friends’ beloved South Norwalk luncheonette from ruthless developers. Now, against the warnings of the police and his detective girlfriend, Quincy finds himself pulled into a world of celebrity chefs, hidden rivalries, illegal luxury ingredients, and private dinners where the ultra-wealthy will pay fortunes to consume the forbidden.

With the help of his sharp-tongued elderly neighbor Mary Ticcarelli, Quincy uncovers a web of simmering secrets stretching from elite culinary circles to dangerous underground supply networks tied to powerful people who will kill to protect their appetites.

As the bodies pile up and the anonymous watcher closes in, Quincy must decide how far he’s willing to go for the truth before his own carefully constructed life boils over.

Perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Carl Hiaasen, and culinary mysteries with bite, Simmering Secrets serves up murder, dark humor, found family, and a generous helping of Connecticut coastal charm. 

When It’s Time for Leaving

by Ang Pompano

The first in the Blue Palmetto Detective Agency Series

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Al DeLucia walked away from the police—and his past. But when his long-lost father leaves him a detective agency in Savannah, Al finds himself trapped between family secrets and a murder on the agency’s dock. Partnered with Maxine Brophy, a fierce detective who doesn’t trust him, Al is pulled into a deadly search through Savannah and the Okefenokee Swamp—where the truth about the case, and his father, may cost him everything.

Blood Ties and Deadly Lies

by Ang Pompano

Book Two in the Blue Palmetto Detective Agency Series

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Al DeLucia returns to Sachem Creek expecting a kayak race and a chance to confront his childhood bully, Abe Cromwell. Instead, he finds a dead lawyer, a web of deceit, and Abe claiming they’re brothers by DNA. Reluctantly joined by Maxine Brophy, his formidable partner and girlfriend, Al dives into a murder investigation that exposes land swindles, hidden maps, and buried family secrets. In a town where the past won’t stay buried, Al must face truths that could upend everything.

Snakeberry: Best New England Crime Stories 2025

Edited by

Christine Bagley, Susan Oleksiw, Ang Pompano, and Leslie Wheeler

BUY LINK

Every year the anthology brings welcome surprises and satisfactions, and this year is no different, featuring stories by 21 of New England’s best crime writers.

Includes “Minnie the Air Raid Warden” by Ang Pompano.