We’ve been home so infrequently this summer that it feels like a real treat to have a good old fashioned weeknight in.  It’s the mundane—a slow walk around the neighborhood, collecting our dry cleaning and grabbing a carton of eggs at the market; watering the flowers while the sun goes orange as it sets; sitting at the table on the deck long after we’re done eating dinner—that feels so good, so refreshing.  Since these nights have been few and far between, though, I’ve been relying on stand-by recipes: like this, this and this one.  Even where dessert for dinner guests is concerned, I’ve been—gasp—recycling recipes (for the record: you should make a batch of these, stuff them with excellent vanilla ice cream coated with mini chocolate chips and call it a chipwich … like, tonight).

But, this week, I’d had enough of the re-do’s.  We’d been through all of our old favorites once, twice, thrice this summer.  So I went hunting for new recipes.  On Monday, there were pork chops and halved plums grilled simply and served with a pile of greens—a meal inspired by The Publican’s current incarnation of its country ribs.  Tonight, we’re trying a new steak sandwich, which is generally a no-fail proposition.  We snuck in a dinner out on Tuesday night.  Which leaves us with Wednesday.

Oh, Wednesday.  It’s hard to be you, isn’t it?  You’re the calendar version of a middle child.  We adorn you with insulting names (Hump Day) and you are completely bereft of acronyms (TGIF) or catchy 80s tunes (Manic Monday).  And, to make matters worse, I assigned the most boring of this week’s new dinner recipes to you: a late summer spin on potato salad.  Bo-ring, right?

Well, actually, wrong.  This salad turned out to be quite beautiful and completely delicious.  I haven’t roasted anything in a while (it is August, after all, though you wouldn’t know it here in Chicago) and I forgot the magic it can work on a pile of vegetables—sending the potatoes into crisped outside-pillowy inside perfection and blistering the scallions and okra ever so slightly.   Into this, I folded quickly boiled kernels of fresh corn—which added a sparkle of color and sweetness.  This all got tossed in a rosemary-and-shallot-spiked vinaigrette and promptly became my go-to late summer dinner.  Good enough to render even a Wednesday memorable.

Roasted Potato & Okra Salad
Adapted from Gourmet

2 lb small potatoes such as fingerling, red, or yellow-fleshed
1 large bunch scallions, halved lengthwise and roughly chopped
2 large fresh rosemary sprigs, plus 1/2 teaspoon chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 lb small (2- to 3-inch) okra
1 cup fresh corn (from 1 to 2 ears)
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot

Roast potatoes and okra:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.

Halve potatoes lengthwise and toss with scallion pieces, rosemary sprigs, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Spread potato mixture in a large roasting pan and roast, stirring once, 20 minutes. Stir potatoes and add okra to pan, tossing to coat. Continue to roast until okra and potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes more.

Cook corn while potatoes roast:

Cook corn in 1 quart of salted boiling water for 3 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

Make dressing and assemble salad:

Whisk together lemon juice, shallot, chopped rosemary, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl until combined. Discard rosemary sprigs, then add hot potatoes and okra to dressing along with beans, corn, and salt to taste, tossing to combine.  Serve hot or warm.