Potato and Spring Onion Salad
The secret of a good potato salad is to use freshly cooked potatoes and then season and toss in French dressing while they are still warm. This simple trick makes a phenomenal difference to the flavour of the finished salad. I’ve had delicious results with both waxy (Pink Fir Apple or Sharpe’s Express) and floury (Golden Wonders) potatoes, though waxy are definitely easier to handle.
Serves 4–6
1.6kg (31⁄2lb) raw potatoes
salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons (4 American tablespoons) chopped chives or spring onions
3 tablespoons (4 American tablespoons) chopped parsley
150ml (1⁄4 pint) French Dressing (see recipe)
150ml (1⁄4 pint) homemade Mayonnaise (see recipe), thinned with a little water
Boil the potatoes in their jackets in a large amount of well-salted water. Peel and dice the potatoes while they are still hot and put into a large, wide dish. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle immediately with the chives or spring onions and the parsley. Drizzle over the French dressing and mix well. Leave to cool and then add the mayonnaise. Taste and correct seasoning.
Variations
Mashed Potato Salad
We ‘discovered’ this recipe when a whole pot of potatoes destined for the above potato salad overcooked into a mush. In the moment of crisis, with 50 people waiting for dinner in the dining room, we decided to drain the potatoes, pick out the peel and mash them. Then we added the other ingredients as above. The end result was so delicious we’ve been making it ever since! It should be a soft consistency and can even be piped onto individual lettuce leaves or used to garnish starter salads or hors d’oeuvres.
Hot Potato Salad
Make as above, but omit the mayonnaise. Fold in 2 diced hard-boiled eggs and 2 tablespoons of chopped gherkins. Serve warm with sausages, boiled bacon, warm terrine, hot spiced beef or Danish Pâté (see recipe).
Potato and Mint Leaf Salad
For a light summer salad, add 4 tablespoons (5 American tablespoons) of freshly chopped spearmint leaves instead of the chives and parsley and omit the mayonnaise.