Asparagus & Blue Cheese Potato Salad

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Updated: March 25, 2025

This Asparagus & Blue Cheese Potato Salad is a fresh and elegant twist on the classic potato salad. With tender potatoes, crisp asparagus, tangy blue cheese, and creamy soft-boiled eggs, each bite is rich with texture and flavor. The addition of delicate fresh pansies makes this dish as visually stunning as it is delicious. Perfect for spring gatherings, picnics, or a refined side dish at brunch, this salad is a true celebration of the spring season’s best ingredients.

A Fresh Take on a Classic Potato Salad:

I wanted something that was fitting for the spring season, but felt like it could be a full meal or a really beautiful side dish rather than a salad in a bed of greens. I had the idea for a fresh take on potato salad! I love a good grandma’s potato salad with mustard and mayonnaise any day, but this potato salad is really more like a green salad than a creamy potato salad.

It has lovely fresh spring ingredients like asparagus, peas, and radishes, garnished with blue cheese, pea shoots, and colorful pansies. It feels like the spring garden just burst onto the plate! It’s an ideal side dish for ideal for Easter brunch, garden parties, or a unique addition to any dinner table.

Gathering Ingredients:

• Garlic. To make the garlic dressing, you will need 4 full heads of garlic.

• Oil. You can use any neutral salad oil such as avocado or canola.

• Mayonnaise.

• White Wine Vinegar. If you do not have white wine vinegar, you can use distilled white vinegar.

• Heavy Cream.

• Lemon Juice. I suggest using fresh lemon juice for your dressing.

• Honey.

• Eggs. You will need 6 large eggs, the fresher the better!

• Potatoes. You will need baby russet and golden potatoes.

• Peas. Fresh shelled peas are preferred, but frozen and thawed peas can be used.

• Radishes.

• Blue Cheese.

• Pea Shoots. If you cannot find pea shoots, any type of microgreen can be used instead.

• Flaky Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper. This is my favorite brand of flaky sea salt.

How to Make Asparagus & Blue Cheese Potato Salad:

Step One: Begin by soft boiling the eggs. Set aside a medium bowl of ice water. Set the pan over high heat and bring the water to a boil. Once at a full, rolling boil, add the eggs and cook for about 6 to 7 minutes. Remove the pot from heat. With a slotted spoon, gently lift the eggs from the hot water and place them into the bowl of ice water. Once the eggs have cooled enough to handle, about 5 minutes, place them into a dish and refrigerate them. I like to wait for at least 1 hour before peeling, as this cold shock helps the shells to peel right off! You may choose to peel them earlier. Either way, you will have a soft boiled egg.

Step Two: Next, blanch the vegetables. You will want 1 to 2 large bowls of ice water, and 2 large pots for boiling the vegetables. If you do not have 2 pots, you will have to rotate your blanching. Bring the large pots of water up to a boil. To one pot, add the baby potatoes. To the other pot, add the asparagus. Boil the potatoes about 15 minutes and boil the asparagus about 8 to 10 minutes. You want the vegetables to be just soft, but not overly cooked where they are falling apart.

Step Three: Immediately transfer the hot vegetables to the bowls of ice water and let them cool down to stop cooking. Meanwhile, follow the same procedure with the peas, boiling for about 4 to 5 minutes or until they are just soft. Plunge them into the ice water.

Step Four: Drain the vegetables and place them all in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate the vegetables until they are very cold.

Step Five: When everything has been chilled, assemble the salad. Arrange the potatoes (smashed or cut in half), asparagus, peas, radishes, blue cheese, pea shoots, salt, pepper, and pansies on a serving platter. Drizzle with the Roasted Garlic Dressing or serve it on the side.

Tips for the Best Asparagus & Blue Cheese Pasta Salad:

• Choose the Right Potatoes – Waxy potatoes like Yukon Gold or baby red potatoes hold their shape best and give you bite size pieces that are perfect for enjoying in a salad.

• Blanch the Asparagus – A quick dip in boiling water followed by an ice bath keeps it vibrant and crisp.

• Cook the Eggs Just Right – Soft-boiled eggs should have a jammy yolk; about 6 to 7 minutes in boiling water is perfect. Then, immediately place them into an ice bath and let cool down for about 10 minutes before peeling.

• Use High-Quality Blue Cheese – A creamy, mild blue cheese like Gorgonzola balances the dish without overpowering it.

• Add Edible Flowers at the End – Fresh pansies are delicate; add them just before serving for the best presentation.

Serving Suggestions:

This Asparagus & Blue Cheese Potato Salad is a versatile dish that can be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled. It pairs beautifully with grilled salmon, roasted chicken, or a crusty baguette for a light yet satisfying meal. Serve it as part of a brunch spread with quiche and fresh fruit, or bring it to a spring picnic for a refined and colorful side dish. A crisp white wine or herbal iced tea would complement the flavors wonderfully.

Try these delicious spring dishes to serve alongside your potato salad:

• Radish and Chevre Cornmeal Muffins

• Maple Banana Cream Pie with Maple Caramel Sauce

• Wild Nettle Pesto Spiral Babka

Final Thoughts:

This Asparagus & Blue Cheese Potato Salad is a refreshing, elegant take on a beloved classic. With its perfect balance of creamy, tangy, and fresh flavors, it’s a dish that’s sure to impress at any gathering. Whether you’re making it for a special occasion or just to enjoy a taste of spring, this salad is a delightful way to highlight the season’s best produce.

I hope that you enjoy this fresh take on a potato salad. Let me know if you give it a try!

xoxo Kayla

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Yield: 8

Author: Kayla Lobermeier

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Asparagus & Blue Cheese Potato Salad

Prep time: 1 HourCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 1 H & 15 M

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

Roasted Garlic Dressing:

• 4 heads garlic
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) neutral salad oil such as avocado or canola, divided
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) white wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) heavy cream
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) honey
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Asparagus & Blue Cheese Potato Salad:

• 6 large eggs
• 2 lbs (907 g) baby gold & russet potatoes
• 1 lb (454 g) asparagus, ends trimmed
• 1 cup (160 g) fresh or frozen peas
• 4 oz (104 g) fresh radishes, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup (30 g) crumbled blue cheese
• 1/4 cup (15 g) pea shoots
• 1 tsp flaky sea salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• Fresh pansies, for garnish

Instructions

To make the Roasted Garlic Dressing:

1. Preheat the oven to 425° F (218° C). Set aside a small baking dish and line it with a piece of aluminum foil.
2. Slice off the very tops of the heads of garlic, exposing the cloves inside. Place the cloves on the piece of foil and drizzle with about 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the oil. Enclose the cloves in the foil. Roast the garlic in the preheated oven for about 25 to 30 minutes or until the cloves are soft and easily mashable. Let them cool down until you are able to handle them.
3. Once the garlic has cooled, squeeze or remove the cloves from the skin with a fork. Place the roasted garlic, remaining 1/4 cup (60 ml) oil, mayonnaise, vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper into a food processor or blender. Pulse the ingredients until they are completely smooth, making a creamy dressing about the consistency of a vinaigrette.
4. Store in the dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

To make the Potato Salad:

1. Begin by soft boiling the eggs. Set aside a medium bowl of ice water. In a small saucepan, cover the eggs fully with water. Set the pan over high heat and bring the water to a boil. Once at a full, rolling boil lower the heat to a simmer and simmer the eggs for 1 minute. With a slotted spoon, gently lift the eggs from the hot water and place them into the bowl of ice water. Once the eggs have cooled enough to handle, about 5 minutes, place them into a dish and refrigerate them. I like to wait for at least 1 hour before peeling, as this cold shock helps the shells to peel right off! You may choose to peel them earlier. Either way, you will have a soft boiled egg.
2. Next, blanch the vegetables. You will want 1 to 2 large bowls of ice water, and 2 large pots for boiling the vegetables. If you do not have 2 pots, you will have to rotate your blanching. Bring the large pots of water up to a boil. To one pot, add the baby potatoes. To the other pot, add the asparagus. Boil the potatoes about 15 minutes and boil the asparagus about 8 to 10 minutes. You want the vegetables to be just soft, but not overly cooked where they are falling apart.
3. Immediately transfer the hot vegetables to the bowls of ice water and let them cool down to stop cooking. Meanwhile, follow the same procedure with the peas, boiling for about 4 to 5 minutes or until they are just soft. Plunge them into the ice water.
4. Drain the vegetables and place them all in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate the vegetables until they are very cold.
5. When everything has been chilled, assemble the salad. Arrange the potatoes (smashed or cut in half), asparagus, peas, radishes, blue cheese, pea shoots, salt, pepper, and pansies on a serving platter. Drizzle with the Roasted Garlic Dressing or serve it on the side.
6. Store this salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 5 to 7 days.

Notes

After I put this recipe together, I realized that some bacon crumbled would probably taste lovely! If you are so inclined, try adding bacon.

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