Pesto Potato Salad

Preheat oven to 350°. Roast ⅔ cup walnuts on a small rimmed baking sheet until golden brown and toasty-smelling, 8–10 minutes. Let cool. Set aside 4 or 5 walnuts halves for serving.

Meanwhile, prep your other ingredients. Pull 6 eggs out of the fridge and place in a medium bowl. Cover them with hot tap water and let sit to take the chill off (cold eggs will crack when you drop them in boiling water). Cut 1 lemon in half. Grate 1 oz. Parmesan on the medium holes of a box grater. If your box grater has the side that makes thin, flat shavings, use that side. Transfer cheese to a small bowl and cover with a wet paper towel to prevent drying out.

Place 1½ pounds potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water by about 2". Add a small fistful of salt and bring to a boil over medium heat.

When potatoes are boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and bring liquid to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are tender, 15–20 minutes. Test them for doneness after 15 minutes by using a skewer or fork to pierce one of the larger potatoes. The skewer should slide into the center easily with little resistance.

Using a slotted spoon or spider, transfer potatoes to a large bowl. If water in pot has reduced below the halfway point, top off with more water and bring back to a boil.

Carefully lower eggs into pot with slotted spoon or spider (reserve bowl they were just in) and immediately set the timer for 8 minutes (this will give you medium-cooked eggs; if you like a drier yoke, set the timer for 9–10 minutes). → The simple trick to hard-boiled eggs you can actually peel.

While the eggs are cooking, fill bowl formerly occupied by eggs with ice water.

When the timer goes off, immediately lift eggs out of water with spider or slotted spoon and plunge into ice water. Let cool a few minutes, then remove eggs from water and peel.

If you’re not using any appliances and want to make the pesto by hand, skip to step 11. Mix toasted walnuts and ¾ cup basil leaves in a food processor, chopper, or blender. Pulse 4–5 times until walnuts are chopped. Use a microplane to grate in 1 garlic clove, then zest of a lemon half. → If you want to double that pesto, here's how to use it.

Add ½ cup oil and all but about 2 Tbsp. cheese (reserve for serving). Squeeze in juice of zested lemon half. Pulse again a few times until incorporated and nuts are finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper and pulse just once or twice more to combine.

If you’re not using a food processor, finely chop walnuts and ¾ cup basil together on cutting board. Transfer to a medium bowl and finely grate 1 garlic clove and zest of a lemon half into bowl. Add ½ cup oil and squeeze in juice from zested lemon half; stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.

Tear potatoes into small bite-size pieces with your hands, making irregular craggy pieces.

Spoon about three-quarters of pesto dressing over potatoes and toss to combine. Season with more salt and pepper. Arrange potatoes on a platter.

Tear eggs into pieces, tucking into and around potatoes on platter.

Drizzle remaining pesto dressing over eggs.

Crumble reserved walnut halves with your hands and sprinkle over. Top with reserved cheese and basil leaves.

Finely grate zest of remaining lemon half over, then squeeze juice all over.