Potato Salad ~ Make it Your Own!

I think we are at about the middle of the New Potato season and, of course, salad season in the UK so I thought I’d give some ideas for enjoying potato salads.

New potatoes are ideal candidates for salad as they have a waxy texture (and therefore don’t fall apart) and their skin is tender so there is no need to peel them, indeed doing so would detract from the dish.

Some suggestions ...

~   Add some flavouring when cooking the potatoes – mint leaves, whole cloves of garlic (which can then be mashed into the dressing) or whole spices for instance.

~   It is a good idea to add some of the dressing to the warm potatoes or at least sprinkle with a tablespoon or two of cider or white vinegar and then finish dressing shortly before serving. This will be absorbed and make the salad even deliciouser that if dressed cold.

~   For more of a main course salad add cooked chicken or chorizo or bacon bits or perhaps some smoked fish.  In the latter case the addition of whole grain mustard to the dressing would be beneficial.

Mayonnaise Ideas ...

~   Mayonnaise can be lightened with a little yogurt, crème fraiche or sour cream and flavoured with garlic, herbs, spices etc. according to your fancy and the other dishes in the meal. 

38 Delicious Flavoured Mayonnaise Ideas here.

 ~   Include something crunchy – thin slices of celery, red onion or radish for instance.

~   A very simple but impressive dressing is made by puréeing a bunch of spring onions OR watercress with the mayonnaise.  

~   Classic American potato salad is drizzled with vinegar and contains celery, red onion, pickle (NB. in America “pickle” refers only to a cucumber that's been pickled as in dill pickle or sweet pickle and has nothing to do with Piccalilli or Branston etc.) and, crucially, boiled eggs. In fact, once or twice when feeding Americans, I have been excoriated for not included boiled egg in potato salad as if such a thing is unthinkable which, of course, it is not!

 Vinaigrettes ...

Potato salads dressed with vinaigrette are equally as good as mayonnaise based salads and are lovely served warm.  For instance ...

Warm Potato Salad with Fresh Herb Vinaigrette

 serves 4

In two stages as the ingredients are somewhat repeated!

700g new potatoes - washed but not peeled
120ml good olive oil
2 tablespoons cider or white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon salt

~   If the potatoes are large cut them into attractive bit sized pieces.
~   Cook the potatoes in gently boiling water for about 15 minutes till tender.
~   Meanwhile whisk together the rest of the above ingredients
~   Drain the potatoes, cool for a few minutes and then toss gently with the dressing and set aside for about half an hour.

2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 finely chopped shallot
a small handful of chopped parsley
a small bunch of chives.

~   When the half hour is up gently stir this through the potatoes and serve.

If making ahead just re-warm the salad slightly when serving.

Kartoffelsalat - German Potato Salad

700g new potatoes – washed but not peeled
4 rashers smoked bacon
1 small red onion, diced
60ml cider or white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons sugar
 salt and pepper to taste
small bunch fresh parsley – chopped

~   Prepare and cook the potatoes as above.
~   Dice the bacon and fry till browned and crisp (you may need to add a drizzle of oil to the pan depending on what cut of bacon you are using).
~   Remove and set aside the bacon and add the onions to the residual fat in the pan.
~   Cook the onions till softening and starting to brown.
~   Add the remaining ingredients to the pan, bring to a boil.
~   Add the cooked potatoes to the pan together with half the bacon and half the parsley and when all heated through turn off the heat.
~   Serve warm garnished with the other half of the bacon and the parsley.

Inspired by writing this post have just had a lovely lunch of smoked salmon with new potatoes in a lemon and chive dressing with just a touch of Thai chilli sweet sauce.

See here for lots more inspiring vinaigrette ideas.

Honey Mustard Dressing

This final recipe combines mayonnaise and vinaigrette to make a perfect dressing for potato salad to serve with ham.

60ml olive oil
60ml cider vinegar
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons of whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons of honey

~   Whisk all the ingredients together, taste and season and use to dress warm new potatoes.

Now it's your turn – make the potato salad of your dreams!

Balsamic Croutons

~ Menu ~
Smoked Pigeon Breast Salad with Balsamic Croutons
Small glass of Red Wine
A few Freshly Picked Strawberries

The other day I accidentally invented balsamic croutons and they were so good I invented them again today.

Last week I had a small dish of olive oil and balsamic vinegar sitting around which I was occasionally dipping pieces of gorgeous bread into, as one does. I ran out of bread before I ran out of oil and vinegar. Later on, when making croutons to go with my soup of the evening, I reached for the olive oil but seeing the little dish thought what the heck (or similar), poured it over the bread pieces and croutoned on in my normal fashion.

Balsamic Croutons

I always tear croutons rather than cut them. This way they are interesting shapes which look pretty and also tend to be crunchier as they have more points and edges. So - tear some bread into pieces, mix together a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar in the proportions of 3:1 or thereabouts. Drizzle over the torn bread, sprinkle with salt and pepper, spread on a baking tray and do in a hot oven till crisp and golden which will only take a few minutes.

I have written more about the how and why of making croutons with lots of other variations here.

Today, when I found I had two smoked pigeon breasts in the fridge (OK, I did know they were there!) I sliced them into a simple salad and added the balsamic croutons. For a dressing I made my standard honey enhanced balsamic vinaigrette, the sweetness of which compliments the smoky gamey taste of the pigeon and, well, you know – yum, though, to be honest, not very photogenic! 

Balsamic/Honey/Mustard Vinaigrette

1 tbsp Dijon mustard
50ml balsamic vinegar
1½ tbsp honey
225ml olive oil
salt and pepper

~ Whisk together the mustard, vinegar and honey.
~ Gradually whisk in the olive oil – it should emulsify – and then the salt and pepper.
~ Keeps ages – store in a lidded jar and if it separates give it a good old shake before using.

For lots more ideas and recipes for vinaigrettes see here.

Still glorious weather, a bit cooler and much colder at night but lovely. Not having experienced an English autumn for many years I'm really enjoying it now but is this normal, so late in the year? .....

I picked 5 strawberries from our pot outside the caravan and they were so sweet!