Recipe - Potato Salad With Italian Dressing

DRESSING
1 cup Cold water
2 teaspoon Cornstarch
1/3 cup Redwine vinegar
1 teaspoon Tomato paste
1 lg Clove garlic; peeled and
forced through a press
1 tablespoon Countrystyle Dijon mustard
One half teaspoon Dried basil; crushed
One half teaspoon Dried oregano; crushed
1 pn Cayenne pepper
One fourth teaspoon Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
to taste
1 tablespoon Olive oil

SALAD
2 pound Small red potatoes
1 md Shallot; peeled and minced
One half pound Green beans; trimmed and cut
into halves if long
One half cup Kalamata olives
halved and pitted
3 Plum tomatoes; seeded and
cut into slivers
8 Basil leaves; slivered

1. TO PREPARE THE DRESSING: Combine about 1 tablespoon of the water with
the cornstarch to dissolve. Combine the remaining water, cornstarch
mixture, vinegar and tomato paste in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Continue boiling until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and whisk
in the garlic, mustard, basil, oregano, cayenne, salt, pepper and olive
oil. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. 2. TO PREPARE THE SALAD: Scrub the
potatoes but do not peel. Cut in halves. Place in a steamer basket and
steam over boiling water until tender, about 2025 minutes. Drain and
tranfer to a bowl. Add 4 tablespoons of the dressing and the shallot.
Refrigerate 1 to several hours. 3. Bring a small pan of water to the boil,
add the beans and time about 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain and plunge
into ice water to stop the cooking. Pat dry and add to the potatoes. 4.
Stir in the olives, tomatoes and basil leaves. Add enough dressing to coat
the salad. If making the salad ahead, refrigerate; remove from
refrigeration about 1 hour before serving.