How to make warm potato and lima bean salad

For an elegant, flavour-drenched, warm salad, take nutty new potatoes and high-fibre lima beans, drizzle them with a herby vinaigrette, then serve on salad greens. Part of the legume family, lima beans are a good source of both soluble and insoluble fibre to keep the digestive system in good order. They also contain energy-releasing B vitamins, including folate, which helps to maintain healthy blood and circulation. Here's a great way to enjoy all of the nutritional value of lima beans in this delicious recipe.

Preparation 15 minutes

Cooking 15 minutes

Serves 4

• 453 g (1 lb) baby new potatoes
• 907 g (4 c) fresh lima beans or 377 g (1 2/3 c) frozen baby lima beans
• 5 g (1 tsp) sugar
• 5 g (1 tsp) dry or Dijon mustard
• 5 g (1 tsp) cider vinegar
• 45 g (3 tbsp) olive oil3 large sprigs thyme
• 115 g (4 oz) beet leaves or mixed salad leaves
• 60 g (4 tbsp) snipped fresh chives

1. Put the potatoes in a large pot and add boiling water to cover. Return to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, shell the lima beans, if using fresh ones. Soak the shelled beans in a bowl of hot water for three to four minutes before peeling off the pale green outer skins. Add the beans to the potatoes, return to a boil, cover and cook for four minutes until tender.

2. Make a vinaigrette by whisking the sugar, mustard and vinegar in a large bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Whisk in the oil and rub the thyme leaves off the stalks and into the bowl. Season to taste.

3. Make a bed of salad greens on four plates. Drain the potatoes and beans and stir them into the vinaigrette. Sprinkle with chives and mix again. Top the greens with the potato and bean salad.

Alternative ingredients

• Freshly cooked baby beets work well in this salad with the lima beans. Trim off the leaves but keep the roots and stems in place. Wash and boil 300 grams (2/3 pound) beets for 20 minutes until tender. Drain and soak in cold water until cool enough to handle, then rub off the skins under water. Cook the lima beans separately. Add the hot beets to the dressing and then add the lima beans.

• Sugar does not dissolve in oil, so to avoid a grainy vinaigrette, combine the sugar with the mustard and vinegar before adding the olive oil.
• Some salad greens have a slightly bitter taste that is pleasant in young leaves but can be a little too strong in older ones. Choose small, young leaves, or if only older ones are available, reduce their quantity by half and mix them with "sweeter" leaves, such as lamb's lettuce (mâche), oakleaf lettuce or finely shredded Chinese cabbage.

Nutritional information: 247 calories • 13 grams fat • 2 grams saturated fat • 28 grams carbohydrates • 7 grams protein • 6 grams fibre