Can I make this mayo-free potato salad the day before a picnic?

April 27, 2018 5:20 PM

I would like to make this mayo-free potato salad the day before a picnic. The recipe says to prepare it no more than 2 hours before.

It would make my life infinitely easier to do it the day before rather than day of. Can I do this? Will it taste bad or be dangerous to eat for some reason? I will keep it in the fridge till about 1.5 hours before the picnic.

If I shouldn't do this, are there parts I can do ahead? The pesto maybe? Washing and/or cutting the potatoes and green beans?

Thanks in advance for your help!

posted by dysh to Food & Drink (19 answers total)

Response by poster: Oh if it matters, I'll be omitting the parmesan, and probably the pine nuts as well.
posted by dysh at 5:21 PM on April 27, 2018

I am not a chef, or really much of a cook, but after looking at the recipie, I don't see any reason why this can't be made ahead of time, fridged, and then pulled out in time for the picnic. I think the 2-hour thing is a "you don't want this to be sitting out for four hours" general food advice, along with a bit of "i'm a finicky cook and everything should be done fresh."

As with many things, I think it might even be better after giving it time to sit.
posted by China Grover at 5:24 PM on April 27, 2018 [2 favorites]

I think it'll only get better the longer it sits, sans pine nuts as they'll get soggy. I'd make it day in advance in and bring a baggy of toasted pine nuts and parm and add them at the end because yummy. Looks like good recipe.
posted by parki at 5:32 PM on April 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Not a chef, but I do know that cooked green beans can get soggy over night and loose that bright crunch a 4 minute blanch brings.
posted by tipsyBumblebee at 5:34 PM on April 27, 2018 [3 favorites]

Best answer: I’d make everything but only mix it all together right before serving. Potatoes really soak up oil-based dressings and the texture is going to be noticeably different the next day.
posted by something something at 5:36 PM on April 27, 2018 [5 favorites]

Best answer: Yeah that's hinky, I think it would be much better if fridges overnight. The only reason I could possibly think for this would be if the pesto maybe loses its color and turns kind of murky brown overnight? But the oil should envelop the basil flakes sufficiently to keep that oxidization from happening.

I would hesitate to omit the pine nuts and parmesan because I think they will add some much needed well-roundedness to the dish. If you dislike them that's fine but you can find some substitutions for the qualities they confer. Keep them separate and garnish once you get to the picnic to avoid sogginess. The pine nuts provide crunch, so if you don't want nuts at all you can use something like some crispy onions or croutons or some very finely diced celery, if nuts are okay try some roughly chopped pecans or almonds. The parmesan adds a salty boost as well as some of that mysterious umami flavor so add a bit more salt to your dressing and/or consider something like halved pitted olives or cherry tomatoes.
posted by Mizu at 5:41 PM on April 27, 2018

If you do make it the day before (and I think you could or follow something something's suggestion to make before but assemble before serving), make sure to taste for seasoning and plan to maybe add more salt and/or oil and/or vinegar if the dressing has disappeared. I think this would be good fresh or marinated for a day. I agree with Mizu that the parmesan would add to overall flavor.
posted by RoadScholar at 5:43 PM on April 27, 2018

Response by poster: Ah, I should mention that I'm trying to make it vegan, and am also making another dish with nuts so was looking to omit nuts here in case someone is allergic. I was thinking of adding some nutritional yeast to this recipe to somewhat make up for the missing parm.
posted by dysh at 5:55 PM on April 27, 2018

Best answer: In my experience, if you make it ahead, the vinegar will likely react with the green beans, and turn them an odd khaki colour.
posted by brushtailedphascogale at 5:59 PM on April 27, 2018 [2 favorites]

Preparing a day ahead will in no way be dangerous. I don't know why you'd even think that.*

Subtle differences in texture/color/flavor may occur compared to same-day prep, probably for the better.

* actually, I do. Metafilter would seemingly have you believe that most food turns to poison if you look at it wrong or wait more than 90 minutes before eating, but that is patently false, and this will be fine.
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:41 PM on April 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: If memory serves, I've actually made this recipe (and it was very tasty!), and the leftovers did get a little visually unappealing -- the pesto turned brownish and the green beans did get dull and a little mushy. I think you'd be fine to cook everything the day before, stick it all in the fridge, and mix just before heading to the picnic.
posted by Janta at 6:47 PM on April 27, 2018 [8 favorites]

Basil oxidizes rapidly and the flavor goes off a bit. Not dangerous but not optimal. Add the pesto at the last minute. I don't add parmesan to my pesto since I realized that dairy and I don't do well. It's very good without it, but the nuts really add volume and depth of flavor. Pine nuts are expensive so I use pecans or walnuts.
posted by theora55 at 7:24 PM on April 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: It’s an issue of the pesto turning brown. Make all the elements separately and combine them right before the party.
posted by TryTheTilapia at 7:26 PM on April 27, 2018 [4 favorites]

Agree with those suggesting that you prepare all elements ahead of time, but not mix them together until close to party time.
posted by amro at 8:02 PM on April 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

We often have pasta, new potatoes, green beans and pesto as a meal. Made using store bought pesto. If we have any leftovers I take them to work next day - no issues at all!
posted by chr at 2:01 AM on April 28, 2018

Best answer: It’s definitely not dangerous to make a day ahead, and I think the flavor would be fine, but the texture might suffer. I agree that it would be best to do the final mixing the day of though - make the pesto, beans, and potatoes the day before, then mix and adjust seasoning shortly before the picnic.
posted by insectosaurus at 6:07 AM on April 28, 2018

Best answer: Smitten Kitchen is really good about telling you what things can be made ahead and how long they last. I'd trust her on this. The main issue with making it ahead is the pesto - that is one sauce that doesn't ever "age" well. Once it's out/on, it's meant to be eaten. The second is the texture as others have pointed out above. It won't be as crisp or vibrant. I think you can make the pesto (covering with olive oil and pressing plastic wrap against the top to prevent oxidation) and the potatoes the day before and then blanch the beans the day of, mixing it all together just before serving. You can also wash and trim the beans the day before. I would not serve this one-day old salad to guests (but I might eat one-day old leftovers myself). Oh, it's definitely not dangerous, it just won't taste very good.
posted by perrouno at 6:36 AM on April 28, 2018

Re store bought pesto - I believe this is treated with citric acid to prevent browning. Fresh pesto turns brown over time.
posted by TryTheTilapia at 7:48 AM on April 28, 2018

Response by poster: Thanks for all your answers! I ended up boiling the potatoes and cutting the green beans the day before, and blanching the green beans and making the pesto day of. Turned out great!
posted by dysh at 6:16 AM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]