eG Cook-Off #87: Potato Salad

[David Ross]

8 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

And my favourite warm potato salad is potatoes with green beans, served warm and quickly mixed with sweet onion, cherry tomatoes and feta cheese and a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Maybe a bit of fresh basil. Plan to make this one tomorrow, will try to share a photo. 

I like the idea of potatoes with the flavor of feta.

[Smithy]

5 hours ago, David Ross said:

I like the idea of potatoes with the flavor of feta.

 

You just reminded me of one of our occasional dinners! It was invented when my husband was working in the Eastern Egyptian desert. After a very long work day, the driver (who was also the cook) would sometimes simply boil potatoes, then chunk and mix them with chunks of hard-boiled eggs and feta cheese. Generous quantities of fresh cumin set it off nicely. It was perhaps a social protest on the cook's part, but we liked it - and sometimes now make it for ourselves. Because of its provenance, we call it Bedouin Fatigue Potato Salad.

[Anna N]

6 hours ago, Smithy said:

Because of its provenance, we call it Bedouin Fatigue Potato Salad.

Not sure I would like a salad but I am crazy about the name.

[David Ross]

Made a quick potato salad today with ingredients I had on hand.  In the summer I always have homemade mayonnaise on hand, then roasted baby gold potatoes.  Some fresh oregano and chives from the garden, and some diced cucumber from cucumbers a neighbor brought me.  I could have done without the cucumbers and should have added capers.  If I had some olives, preferably green, I would have added those.  The potatoes alone would have been ok, but just needed something more. This is my homemade mayonnaise recipe-

• 2 large eggs
• 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1-1 ½ cups extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano

1. Place the eggs, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste in a blender. Process just until ingredients are combined, about 20 seconds.

2. With blender running at low speed, slowly drizzle in the oil in a slow steady stream. Continue to add enough oil until the mayonnaise thickens. This will take about 3-5 minutes. 

3. Refrigerate the mayonnaise at least one hour before using to allow it to cool and the oil to set.

   

 

[MokaPot]

1 hour ago, David Ross said:

Made a quick potato salad today with ingredients I had on hand.  In the summer I always have homemade mayonnaise on hand, then roasted baby gold potatoes.  Some fresh oregano and chives from the garden, and some diced cucumber from cucumbers a neighbor brought me.  I could have done without the cucumbers and should have added capers.  If I had some olives, preferably green, I would have added those....

 

@David Ross, your potato salad looks really good. I do like cucumbers in potato salad. My mom used to salt the sliced cucumbers (English or Japanese) then squeeze out the excess moisture (before adding to the P.S.). Do you think it might have helped to do that? Olives sound like they would have been a good addition.

 

[David Ross]

Just now, MokaPot said:

 

@David Ross, your potato salad looks really good. I do like cucumbers in potato salad. My mom used to salt the sliced cucumbers (English or Japanese) then squeeze out the excess moisture (before adding to the P.S.). Do you think it might have helped to do that? Olives sound like they would have been a good addition.

 

Yes you've got it, I should have salted the cucumbers first then gotten out extra moisture. I think they would have been crisper, and I could have diced them instead of cut in chunks.  Thanks for the reminder tip.

[FauxPas]

Warm potato salad with Warba potatoes, green beans, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, sweet onion and a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. A few basil leaves. There are more potatoes there than it appears, they seemed to hide at the bottom for the photo.  🙂

 

 

[Duvel]

This is my grandma Emmi’s potato salad. It reflects the style of northern Hessia (albeit we are from Lower Saxony), but swapping the late addition of sour cream to mayo. 
 

New waxy potatoes („festkochend“). My grandma would have boiled them in their skins and peeled them when they came straight out of the (unsalted) water. I tried many times, but always made a mess. Now I boil them like this, just until done. When they cool, you want to have the ever so slightest firmness …

 

 

Sliced up thinly straight out of the water. Could have sliced them thinner, but too hot. Some broke which is usually an indication of overboiling - but they firmed up nicely later …

 

 

The fixings: a cross-section of classic German brands. Pickled cucumbers (and their liquid !), white wine vinegar, medium sharp mustard, mayo (my grandma would have used a different brand that does not exist anymore) and powdered broth (this specific one is very important, I only buy it for this potato salad. It has a clean salty, meaty taste, heavy on the celery - but is essentially a yeast hydrolysate).

 

 

Bacon cubes and onions get fried in clarified butter (or lard) until crispy and partly caramelized. Having a few black bits here and there give the correct flavor profile. A healthy dose of mustard is added and fried for 2-3 minutes; this releases an pleasant sweetness. Hot broth & pickling liquid of the cucumbers is added, the acidity is adjusted with the white wine vinegar. 

 

 

All is mixed up gently with halved & thinly sliced pickled cucumbers  and left to cool down a bit.

 

 

Mayo is added at the lukewarm stage to create an initial runny consistency (which I love) and the salad is served with a healthy sprinkling of chives (or spring onions, if available). It firms up upon cooling in the next 15 min or so, and is equally nice the next day …

 

 

Served with Schnitzel, Frankfurter sausage or - as in this case - the fruits of the BBQ 😉

 

Edited July 24, 2021 by Duvel (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Pleased and surprised to see Hellmann's.

 

[Duvel]

5 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Pleased and surprised to see Hellmann's.

 

It is much closer to what my grandma would have used than our household staple Kewpie …

[JoNorvelleWalker]

2 minutes ago, Duvel said:

It is much closer to what my grandma would have used than our household staple Kewpie …

 

I stock both.  Kewpie is for Momofuku ranch.

 

[Anna N]

@Duvel  Thank you so much for this. It almost seems as if the versions I have seen over here are hugely simplified. 

[David Ross]

13 hours ago, FauxPas said:

Warm potato salad with Warba potatoes, green beans, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, sweet onion and a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. A few basil leaves. There are more potatoes there than it appears, they seemed to hide at the bottom for the photo.  🙂

 

 

I've never heard of the Warba potato.  Is it somewhat like a Baby Yukon Gold?

[kayb]

@Duvel, that potato salad looks exceptional. I never had mayo on a German potato salad. That is now in the plans.

 

[Duvel]

16 minutes ago, kayb said:

@Duvel, that potato salad looks exceptional. I never had mayo on a German potato salad. That is now in the plans.

 

It more of a northern German thing. As hinted, the Hessian variety would include sour cream to create a certain smoothness …

[FauxPas]

3 hours ago, David Ross said:

I've never heard of the Warba potato.  Is it somewhat like a Baby Yukon Gold?

 

It's an early season white potato, I think Yukon Gold is mid-season, though the baby ones may be harvested earlier? The Warbas are harvested initially without a skin. I think they are firmer-fleshed than the Yukons and they have an earthier and maybe slighter sweeter flavour than Yukons. They are very popular in SW British Columbia. We have a few farms growing them here and they usually start harvesting the Warbas as early as May, after planting in March, so they are quite early. They need to be stored in the fridge because of the lack of skin and moisture content. 

 

They continue to harvest them for a few months, though the characteristics change somewhat. Later in season, they develop more of a skin and the flavour may not be quite so pronounced. 

 

I am sure they could easily be grown in Washington state, but I don't know if they actually are grown there. They may be marketed under a generic description like Nugget or New Nugget. They are identified by their pink eyes, lack of skin in the early season and crisp, white flesh. They are apparently an heirloom variety from the 1920's. My favourite potato for salads but also lovely just steamed and then tossed with butter. 

https://www.potatopro.com/news/2016/harvest-warba-potatoes-british-columbia-signifies-beginning-summer

 

[blue_dolphin]

A potato salad that could well offend the preferences of most, if not all, of those who have voiced them above...roasted sweet potato and pineapple kimchi dressed with gochujang mayo, celery for crunch, green onion for flavor and black sesame seed for garnish.  Added a sprinkle of roasted, salted peanuts after the photo. 

 

 

[Duvel]

2 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

A potato salad that could well offend the preferences of most

And yet, you pull it off …  nice combination 🙏

[chromedome]

3 hours ago, FauxPas said:

 

It's an early season white potato, I think Yukon Gold is mid-season, though the baby ones may be harvested earlier? The Warbas are harvested initially without a skin. I think they are firmer-fleshed than the Yukons and they have an earthier and maybe slighter sweeter flavour than Yukons. They are very popular in SW British Columbia. We have a few farms growing them here and they usually start harvesting the Warbas as early as May, after planting in March, so they are quite early. They need to be stored in the fridge because of the lack of skin and moisture content. 

 

They continue to harvest them for a few months, though the characteristics change somewhat. Later in season, they develop more of a skin and the flavour may not be quite so pronounced. 

 

I am sure they could easily be grown in Washington state, but I don't know if they actually are grown there. They may be marketed under a generic description like Nugget or New Nugget. They are identified by their pink eyes, lack of skin in the early season and crisp, white flesh. They are apparently an heirloom variety from the 1920's. My favourite potato for salads but also lovely just steamed and then tossed with butter. 

https://www.potatopro.com/news/2016/harvest-warba-potatoes-british-columbia-signifies-beginning-summer

 

They're grown here on my coast as well. I was at the farmer's market this morning (Truro, NS) and a couple of the vendors had them for sale. July in NS is probably pretty close to May in BC, in terms of "how far we are into the growing season."

[heidih]

1 hour ago, blue_dolphin said:

A potato salad that could well offend the preferences of most, if not all, of those who have voiced them above...roasted sweet potato and pineapple kimchi dressed with gochujang mayo, celery for crunch, green onion for flavor and black sesame seed for garnish.  Added a sprinkle of roasted, salted peanuts after the photo. 

 

 

Oh gawd - what I now crave for dinner. Have not eaten much today. Love the combination f flavors and textures.

[blue_dolphin]

23 minutes ago, heidih said:

Oh gawd - what I now crave for dinner. Have not eaten much today. Love the combination f flavors and textures.

Thanks!  I was actually craving @Duvel's potato salad but sadly had only sweet potatoes in the house.  With that pineapple kimchi to use up, this seemed worth a try.  It turned out well enough that I’ll make it again and would recommend the concept. 

[heidih]

42 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

Thanks!  I was actually craving @Duvel's potato salad but sadly had only sweet potatoes in the house.  With that pineapple kimchi to use up, this seemed worth a try.  It turned out well enough that I’ll make it again and would recommend the concept. 

And of course now we need intel on pineapple kimchi

[Anna N]

2 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

A potato salad that could well offend the preferences of most, if not all, of those who have voiced them above

Very few of the dishes you post escape me without at least a “like” and very often a “delicious”. A few I might skip where you use ingredients that appear in my non-food list (beans chickpeas, etc.), but not otherwise. But I gotta say this one is challenging.  Now  perhaps if I could just have a bite……….

[David Ross]

A very old, very poor photo, but until this morning I had totally forgotten this potato salad.  Baby gold potatoes, warm, tossed in my homemade Caesar dressing.  This would be delicious today, and I'd get rid of those pesky olives and would do just warm potatoes tossed in Caesar dressing, which includes a coddled egg and plenty of anchovy, then some shaved parmesan. 

[gfweb]

25 minutes ago, David Ross said:

 I'd get rid of those pesky olives

 

 

Always a good plan