This low calorie Caesar dressing is a nice balance to the lightly fried potatoes in this easy side dish
Crispy sautéed potatoes, crunchy green beans and a lovely creamy dressing that tastes luxurious but isn’t loaded with calories. I think we have the makings of a wonderful summer side dish!
Caesar dressing is pretty versatile, especially when it’s a light version like this one. Of course, you can use it on a classic Caesar salad with romaine lettuce, and toss some chicken in there if you’re needing some protein. You can use it to liven up some steamed veggies (and in this case, some potatoes) and I often use it to dress a healthy, homemade coleslaw.
I tend to always have some marinated anchovies hanging around in the fridge, either bought from the supermarket deli counter or sometimes from the fish merchant in my local town. As they’re salty and heavily dressed in oil, I personally find they last a lot longer than any shop sell-by date might suggest.
A well-wrapped hunk of parmesan will also keep happily in your fridge for many months.
If you want to make the dish lighter still, you could of course just use boiled new potatoes and cut out the oil.
Light Caesar dressing
One cup (250 ml) plain yoghurt (I wouldn’t recommend very low fat, but any other variety is fine)
5-6 whole anchovies
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Juice of half a lemon
Sea salt and black pepper to season
Grated parmesan (one to two heaped tbsp worth)
Method
Blitz the garlic, anchovies and lemon juice with a little water in a food processor (use the small bowl application if you have one), until you have a smooth paste. Stir into the yoghurt and add the Dijon mustard. Season with salt and pepper and grate in some parmesan. You can adjust the mustard, salt and pepper and cheese according to your personal taste.
For the salad
300g large new potatoes (approx)
100-150g green beans, trimmed and cut into halves or thirds
Olive or vegetable oil for frying
Cut some large new potatoes into quarters and par-boil for 6-8 minutes, until just beginning to go soft. Drain well and leave to dry out a little. Heat some vegetable or olive oil in a pan, add the drained potatoes and sauté on a medium heat until nicely browned on all side. Season them with salt and pepper, and sprinkle over some dried Italian herbs if desired.
In another pan, boil some water and add the prepared green beans. Boil for around five minutes and then transfer them to a bowl of cold water. You want the beans to retain a good crunch and colour, and not to be soggy.
Mix the potatoes and beans together and drizzle over the Caesar dressing. I like to serve this dish with a rosemary and garlic roast chicken for a lovely, summery evening meal.
Julie is a food and lifestyle blogger! 
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