Going very far out on a limb here with a prediction: Picnics will be big this summer. And a prediction within a prediction: Potato salad will be a star of the picnic table.
From Juneteenth and Father’s Day to the Fourth of July and Labor Day — and all stops in between — an old-fashioned, celebratory picnic seems like just what we all need.
Which is where potato salad comes in. Potatoes — affordable, available and soul-satisfying — have been glorious to us during The Great Confinement, so why stop now? Potato salad is a dish made for the moment: humble, comforting, affordable, carefree and accessible (we haven’t seen any potato shortages yet!). Foolproof and forgiving, vegetarian-friendly and usually gluten-free, it travels well and dresses up pretty nice. So nice, in fact, that it may well provoke oohs and aahs. That’s right, over potato salad.
If you want to keep with the old-fashioned theme, consider the Country-Style Potato Salad from Jubilee: Recipes From Two Centuries of African American Cooking. (Toni Tipton-Martin’s cookbook, which just won a James Beard Award in the American category, would also make a great Father’s Day Gift; here’s a review.) Rich and hard-boiled-eggy, with celery for crunch and a judicious dose of sweet relish, it’s a delicious, easygoing, customizable classic — one that uses any kind of potatoes you want to throw at it. (Find the recipe for Jubilee’s Country-Style Potato Salad here.)
Justin Holt, chef-owner of Salaryman restaurant, loves potato salad. The one featured at his extraordinary Bishop Arts ramen house is one of his favorite things on the menu — “after ramen and yakitori,” of course. (In case you didn’t know, Japanese potato salad is a thing. It’s an example of yoshoku — Western dishes that migrated to Japan in the late 19th century and became truly Japanese.)
There are as many versions of Japanese potato salads as there are American ones, and one of the things many have in common is the inclusion of scallions, along with salted cucumbers — whose lovely crunch is halfway to a pickle. Topped with ajitama — the marinated eggs with golden, gelatinous yolks that often garnish ramen — Holt’s is spectacular.
Those eggs are easier to make than you might think. Just marinate peeled, six-minute eggs in a combo of water, soy sauce and mirin. (Don’t worry — it’s all in the recipe for Salaryman Potato Salad.) But Holt also rightly points out that his potato salad is delicious on its own or with “just about whatever you would like to top it with — bacon, pickled ginger, garlic flowers.”
To achieve the delightful umami punch in his dressing, Holt infuses house-made mayo with Hondashi, the powdered bonito stock that’s a secret weapon of many Japanese chefs; Dijon mustard and a little garlic go in as well. But he’s perfectly OK with home cooks dressing up commercial mayo the same way — in fact, he suggested it. (Thank you, chef!)
Finally, if you prefer a vinaigrette-based potato salad, there are two delicious ways to go. The first is a super-simple version that’s as quickly assembled as Tipton-Martin’s. Ours (Herb-Happy Potato Salad) dresses boiled red potatoes (no need to peel!) with a basic red-wine vinaigrette, and adds a flurry of fresh herbs. It happens to be gluten-free and vegan.
The second (Best Potato Salad Ever) adds shallots, cornichons, capers and soft-boiled eggs in the form of a new-wave sauce gribiche. There are a few extra steps involved, but we think they’re worth the small effort for a zingy, luxurious potato salad that can easily act like a main course.
Oh, one last thought. Because they travel so well and only seem to get better as they sit in the fridge, potato salads solve another pandemic problem: cheering up at-home working lunches and go-out-and-be-safe lunchboxes.
Stay safe, picnic well, eat spuds — and have a great summer.
Former Dallas Morning News restaurant critic Leslie Brenner, now a restaurant consultant, writes about cooking at Cooks Without Borders.
Salaryman Potato Salad
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into half-inch dice
1 Persian cucumber or 1/3 hothouse cucumber
Salt
4 scallions
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Hondashi
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar, plus more to taste as needed
2 ajitama eggs, halved (recipe follows)
Place the diced potatoes into a pot of salted cold water, set over medium heat and bring to a boil. Cook until tender — not al dente, but not quite mashed potatoes. Drain and let cool.
While the potatoes are boiling, slice the cucumbers no thicker than your favorite burger pickle. Season to taste with salt and set aside in the refrigerator.
Cut off the green parts of two of the scallions, and slice them into long ovals on the diagonal. Set them aside for garnish. Cut the rest — white and green parts — into O shapes.
Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, the Dijon mustard, the Hondashi, the garlic and the vinegar. Set aside.
Place the drained potatoes in mixing bowl. Use a tea towel to squeeze the excess water out of the chilled cucumbers, then add them to the bowl. Add the O-shaped scallions and about 3/4 cup of the dressing, and fold together until the ingredients are well combined. Do not overmix or the potatoes may become gluey or overly starchy. Taste and correct seasoning, adding salt and/or vinegar as necessary, along with additional mayonnaise, if you like. Combine gently again. Refrigerate at least an hour before serving to give the flavors time to marry.
Divide the potato salad among four small plates (or two larger ones), top each with half an ajitama (or two halves), scatter the diagonal sliced scallion greens on top and serve.
Makes 2 to 4 servings, “depending on how much you love potato salad,” Holt says.
Source: Justin Holt, chef-owner of Salaryman
Ajitama (Japanese Marinated Eggs)
Use an egg piercer or thumbtack to pierce a hole into the larger end of 2 to 4 large eggs. Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Place the eggs on a slotted spoon or spider strainer and lower it into the water. Reduce the heat to medium so the eggs simmer at a low boil. Cook for exactly six minutes. While the eggs are cooking, prepare an ice bath. After six minutes, transfer the eggs to an ice bath to let cool completely — at least 15 minutes. While the eggs are cooling, prepare the marinade. In a small bowl, combine 1 cup filtered water, 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1/4 cup mirin. When the eggs are completely cool, peel them and drop them into the marinade. Tear a piece of paper towel to just fit on the surface of the marinade, and lay it on the eggs. The eggs naturally want to float, but the paper towel will wick the marinade up to keep them covered in marinade. Refrigerate at least four hours or up to overnight.
Makes 2 to 4 ajitama.
Sources: Justin Holt, Serious Eats, Cooks Without Borders