Potatoes and Green Beans with Tonnato Sauce
By Kelly SongPublished on May 26, 2026
Time
40 minutes
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Tonnato Sauce
1 large egg 4 teaspoons red wine vinegar 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard ½ cup vegetable oil 1 (5-ounce) can olive oil-packed tuna with packing oil, flaked6 anchovy fillets 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed½ teaspoon red pepper flakes ½ teaspoon pepperPotatoes and Green Beans
1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1½-inch piecesTable salt for cooking vegetables 1½ pounds small red potatoes, unpeeled, halved¼ cup extra-virgin olive oilBefore You Begin
Be sure not to drain the oil from the tuna can, and don’t be tempted to substitute extra-virgin olive oil for the vegetable oil; olive oil tastes bitter after being blended. Use small red potatoes measuring 1 to 2 inches in diameter. This recipe uses only a portion of the tonnato sauce; use the remaining sauce for drizzling over roasted or blanched vegetables, roast chicken or delicate fish, or even as a spread for sandwiches.
Instructions
- Process 1 egg, 4 teaspoons red wine vinegar, and 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard in blender until smooth, about 20 seconds. With blender running, slowly add ½ cup vegetable oil until incorporated and mixture is thick and creamy, scraping down sides of blender jar as needed, about 2 minutes.
- Add 1 can olive oil-packed tuna, flaked with packing oil; 6 anchovy fillets; 1 tablespoon rinsed capers; ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes; and ½ teaspoon pepper to blender. Process until completely smooth, about 30 seconds. Transfer to bowl and refrigerate until ready to use. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.)
- Bring 6 cups water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Add 1 pound green beans, cut into 1½-inch pieces, and 2 tablespoons salt and cook until green beans are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer beans to colander to drain briefly. Transfer beans to large bowl.
- Add 1½ pounds unpeeled, halved small red potatoes to still-boiling water. Cook until paring knife meets no resistance when slipped into center of potatoes, 7 to 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer potatoes to colander to drain briefly. Transfer potatoes to bowl with green beans.
- Toss green beans and potatoes with ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil. Transfer to large serving platter and drizzle with ½ cup tonnato sauce. Serve.
for the potatoes and green beans
Time
40 minutesYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
Tonnato, which translates to “tunafied” in Italian, is a classic condiment that combines the meaty flavors of canned tuna and anchovies in a creamy fresh-made mayonnaise. The base relies on emulsifying eggs with oil. To do this, we use a blender to whip the two into a thick, voluminous sauce before blending in the remaining ingredients. We prefer the neutral taste of vegetable oil here instead of olive oil, which can taste bitter if over-agitated. Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, and capers (all traditional) add pops of acidity and salinity. For the tuna, we prefer the fatty texture of the olive oil-packed kind over the water-packed kind and include its packing oil in the sauce for additional flavor. While tonnato sauce is traditionally served atop thinly sliced cold veal in Piedmontese cuisine, modern-day versions drizzle it on any number of proteins and vegetables. Here, we drizzle the sauce onto potatoes and green beans that we cook sequentially in heavily salted water.
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