Since I’ve written a book about potatoes–Yummy Potatoes, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yummy-Potatoes-Downright-Delicious-Recipes-ebook/dp/B00ANC32Y6– it should come as no surprise that whatever in life happens to challenge me, the answer often involves potatoes. In fact, regardless of the question, the answer is usually potato salad.
The other day I was on hanging on facebook, while one of my fave peeps–Indian-American Chef, cookbook author, San Francisco restauranteur and Top Chef Television judge, Suvir Suran–was going on and on about the potato salad he was making. “friends” were oohing and aaaahing. I “watched”, from the other side of the world, as its preparation unfolded. The potatoes, the eggs, the pickles……..yes, it involved pickles. This was my roadblock. I’ve noticed when Suvir has made this potato salad before–I might not remember birthdays and the time of flights, but I always remember when Suvir makes potato salad.
Because it sounds so good, as he whips it lovingly together.
Then, when its ready, he posts pictures of it, and of course, it looks so good. And then, I know its only a matter of time before I’m boiling spuds and chopped vegetables.
I’ll be honest: his potato salad always looks so good that I start getting nervous when he makes it, like I’ll never taste his potato salad, nor anything so delicious ever! And its not a fear completely unfounded: living abroad I don’t have access to iconic American sweet pickles, and if i do bring them back we end up eating them up long before I make potato salad.
But of course, I have a million potato salads up my sleeve: potato salads I’ve picked up all over the world. In solidarity with Suvir: I marched myself into the kitchen and made my potato salad du jour: with peas and fresh dill (picture upper left)
This is: Not Suvir’s Potato Salad, but mine: with dill, peas, green onions, and….oh yes, roasted pickled peppers
Serves 4
750g/ 1 1/2 lbs small succulent potatoes, such as fingerlings or other salad potato
2 green onions, thinly sliced
About 1/2 cup volume frozen (or fresh young blanched) peas
2-3 teaspoons mild Dijon mustard (such as Maille), or to taste
2-3 heaped tablespoons coarsely chopped or cut up roasted red/pickled/jarred red peppers
2-3 heaped tablespoons coarsely chopped jiardiniera pickled vegetables, finely chopped, plus a little of its marinade
2-3 heaped tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh dill
About 3 heaped tablespoons mayonnaise or as desired
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cook the potatoes–unpeeled as their skins are probably paper-thin–in cold water to cover, boiling for about 10 minutes. Pour off the water except for a spoonful or two, sprinkle with sea salt, cover and set on a very very low flame. very low. Leave for another 5 or 10 minutes. It will finish steaming the potatoes and drying out their flesh a bit. Could COULD go so far as to let them scorch–a carefully controlled scorch so that it doesn’t burn–which actually gives a beautiful texture and flavour to the spud-letts.
Leave the potatoes to cool until you can handle them. Cut them into large dice or small chunks.
Toss with: green onions, peas, mustard, peppers, jiardiniera and a teaspoon or two of its marinade, the chopped dill. Toss together gently to mix the ingredients evenly but not mash the potatoes.
Fold in the mayonaise, salt and pepper to taste. Chill until ready to eat.
And then because it was so delicious and gobbled up so greedily and quickly, two days later I’m jonseing for another potato salad. made a different one this morning. 
This Also is Not Suvir’s Potato Salad: this one has Celery, Celery Leaf, and Crunchy Pickled Carrots
This one is very similar–in that it has jiardiniera and brine–but no peas in this one–andthe pickled vegetables in this case are carrots, finely chopped: such a perky punch they pack!
Serves 4
750g/ 1 1/2 lbs tiny salad potatoes such as fingerlings, scrubbed
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons or as desired, chopped fresh dill
2-3 teaspoons mild Dijon type mustard
A few shakes of vinegar or brine from jiardiniera vegetable pickles
About 10 slices pickled carrots from jiardiniera pickled vegetable mix
1 stalk celery, including the leaves, chopped
2-3 heaped tablespoons mayonnaise
Cook the potatoes: place them in cold water to cover, bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer until just tender. Drain all except for a spoonful of water, sprinkle with salt, cover, and leave on very low heat for about 5-10 minutes. You don’t NEED to do this, but I think it results in a less watery, more flavourful and firm, potato
Leave to cool until you are able to handle them.
Dice the cooled potatoes and mix with the green onions, dill, mustard, brine from pickled carrots, then add the finely chopped pickled carrots (and celery too if it comes in the mixture).
Fold in the mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste, and eat now or chill until ready to serve.
I think i’m totally going to get Suvir’s Potato Salad recipe and print it right here! Watch this space…..
OMG: This IS Suvir’s Potato Salad
Serves 8 to 10
Says Suvir: “Ed Schoenfeld, owner of the celebrated Red Farm restaurant in NYC, makes a version of this potato salad for many of his dinner parties. Before I met Ed, I was never a fan of mayonnaise-based potato salad. Once I tasted his version, my opinion changed forever. What’s unusual about this potato salad is that there is sugar in it. The sweetness combines with the sweet-sour taste of the gherkins, the tang of the lime, the spiciness of the cayenne and the herby freshness of the basil to make a potato salad that hits the ground running. With lots of mayonnaise and olive oil, I admit that it isn’t the healthiest salad in this chapter. But it’s not the kind of salad that you make every day—it’s worth the splurge.
4 large eggs
About 175g/ 3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons champagne or white wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked peppercorns
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 bunches of scallions, white and light green part only, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons/ 1/4 cup chopped sweet gherkins
Several BIG handfuls/ 1 generous cup basil or dill, finely chopped
4 tablespoons/ 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 1/2 kilos/ 3 1/2 pounds small to medium red potatoes, peeled, halved and each half quartered
Place the eggs in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cover and turn off the heat. Let the eggs stand 10 minutes in hot water and then drain and cool.
Once cool, peel and separate the whites from yolks. Quarter the whites, and set aside; finely mash the yolks and set aside.
Whisk the mayonnaise, egg yolks, olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, mustard, sugar, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper together in a large bowl. Stir in the scallion, gherkins, basil and parsley, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring the potatoes to a boil, add 1 tablespoon kosher or coarse sea salt, reduce heat to a medium simmer and cook until the potatoes are just tender about 15 to 20 minutes.
Drain and, while still warm, add to the dressing and toss to combine. Cover the bowl flush with plastic wrap and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day in advance. Taste for seasoning and then gently fold in the egg whites and serve.
With over 70 cookbook titles (including contributions) to her credit, Marlena conjures up flavours and dishes from the Mediterranean to Mexico, California to France to the Italian islands and single subjects such as chili peppers, olive oil, mushrooms, to a book on classic Jewish food from all over the world.