Potato salad

As long as your potatoes are not undercooked, I think it is hard to go too far wrong with potato salad. I like classic deli potato salad, where the dressing is thick and slippery and creamy, and German potato salad where the dressing is absorbed into the potatoes and features not a drop of mayonnaise. I like a delicate potato salad with tiny baby Red Bliss potatoes and dill, fit for the daintiest ladies' lunch, and a hefty crumbly potato salad that could beat up everything else on the plate. I like potato salad that verges on being some other kind of vegetable salad -- green bean, for instance -- and potato salad that is made of only potatoes and dressing. I like it all, but I like my own best.

In the season when barbecues run rampant, I fall happily into the habit of making my gold standard signature potato salad for every event. S. claims it is striking and unusual, as potato salad goes, but I don't know about that. It is true that it is neither deli-style nor German-style, but somewhere between the two. There is mayonnaise involved, but because I toss the potatoes with the dressing while they are still warm, they absorb more than is classic for the kind of potato salad you get at the grocery store, and there are other differences, too. But there are absolutely no weird ingredients or bizarre flavor combinations here, I promise you.

The kind of potatoes I prefer are the all-purpose golden-fleshed kinds like Yukon Gold. They're firm enough to not totally disintegrate and floury enough to soak up a good quantity of dressing. A while ago, I read an article in Cook's Illustrated that recommended cutting up your potatoes before you boil them for potato salad. For mashed potatoes, of course, that's a bad idea -- the starch all leeches out into the water, and the result is suboptimal. But for potato salad, it's great. You can salt the water and make sure everything is evenly seasoned, everything finishes up at the same time (because you've cut all the pieces to about the same size), and the resulting texture is great for taking dressing. So go to it.

For the dressing, I like to use fancy organic mayonnaise, because it tastes much, much more like homemade, and much less like generic white oleaginousness. About a quarter of a cup, maybe a third, does nicely for a few pounds of potatoes, enough for a largeish bowl of potato salad, enough to serve about six or eight people. Then white wine or cider vinegar in about the same quantity, a teaspoon or two of sugar, salt (remember to add less if you salted the water!), a teaspoon or so of mustard, a couple of tablespoons of black mustard seeds, and a big fat pinch of dried tarragon. While the potatoes are cooking, I mix up the dressing in a separate bowl.

In addition to potatoes, you'll want crunchy stuff -- I always use scallions, and often red pepper, both cut into about 1/4" pieces. Cut them up while the potatoes are cooking. Parsley is a fine addition too, as is fresh basil. When the potatoes are good and cooked, drain them and return them to the cooking pot. Shake over low heat for a couple of seconds to evaporate out the remaining cooking water. Turn off the heat and let them cool for a few minutes, just so they aren't absolutely piping hot. Add the vegetables and the dressing and mix thoroughly. The potatoes should break up a bit, and they will soak up a lot of the dressing. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then transfer to the serving bowl. Let it cool to room temperature uncovered, and then chill, covered, until dinner.

Posted by redfox at July 30, 2003 10:11 AM (recipes)

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