Making a great potato salad is an art. Most commercial potato salads are drenched in mayo, bland and mushy, completely lacking character. For me to indulge in a calorie heavy potato salad, it better be darned good! I was looking through my library for a great potato salad, I have 57 recipes, and here is the one I choose.
This is a delicate potato salad but with loads of flavors. The bare essential mayo keeps the salad moist without making it gooey, and the barely blanched beans add a wonderful texture. The mustard adds some heat and the vinegar bightens up the salsd. But the pickled red onions are make make this salad phenomenal, caramelized, a hint of sweet and all the flavor. The perfectly cooked soft 6-minute eggs take it over the top. This is a potato that will be the star on the table. Bright, packing flavor and loads of texture, this is a potato salad that is worth the calories.
The Fat Radish was a small neighborhood restaurant in NY. The intimate, no-fuss vegetarian biased menu was highly rated and it was always filled with young hipsters with the occasional superstar. This is another amazing recipe from this cookbook. I have been cooking through this book and I am amazed how delicious each recipe turns out. This book is amongst my favorites in my collection.
For more recipes from this cookbook click here.
Ingredients:
For the salad:
1 1/2 baby potatoes, preferably new potatoes
1/2 lb green beans
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 6-minute eggs or poached eggs
1/2 cup pickled red onions, see recipe below
A large handful of mixed herbs like dill, chives, cilantro, parsley or your choice, minced
Freshly ground black pepper, served at the table
For the pickled red onions:
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 red onions, finely sliced
Salt, to taste
1/4 cup red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
To make the pickled onions, heat the oil on a high flame in a wide frying pan and add the onions. Fry stirring now and then till the onions begin to char. Turn down the heat and add the salt and vinegar. Cook for 1 minute till the vinegar evaporates. Transfer to an air-tight box and store in the fridge for about 2 weeks.
Boil the potatoes in a large pot of salted water till soft, but not mushy. Drain and set aside to cool. Peel when cooked and cut into bit sized pieces if required.
Blanch the beans in hot water for 1-2 minutes till they are just cooked but still retain their crunchiness. Cool in cold water and dice into 1/2 inch pieces. Set aside.
To make the 6-minute eggs, bring a pot of water to boil with 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar. When boiling vigorously, turn down the heat and carefully add the eggs. Bring back to a boil and for exactly 6 minutes. Remove and cool the eggs in iced water to stop them from cooking further. peel carefully and set aside.
Mix mustards, vinegar and mayo in a small bowl.
To serve, combine the potatoes, beans and the mayo dressing till well mixed. Transfer the salad to a wide serving bowl and top with the 6-minute eggs that have been broken in half and topped with the pickled onions. Mix it all in at the table and add freshly ground pepper on your plates.