The history of how potatoes came to our table is fascinating. They were discovered by Spanish explorers in the 16th century while in the new world and brought them back to Europe. After that, Europeans made potato salad by boiling in wine or a mixture of vinegar and spices. Now in southern Germany, potato salad can be hot or cold prepared with red potatoes, bacon, vinegar, salt, pepper, vegetable broth, mustard and onions. And in northern Germany, it is common for potato salad to be made with mayonnaise like the American counterpart. I have found a good potato salad comes from following a dependable recipe. The best potatoes to use are the waxy variety (thin skinned with the least amount of starch) … which are red, new or fingerling potatoes. I do love this recipe for fingerling potato salad. It’s crisp, fresh and a wonderful side dish for your main course.
Place potatoes, 1 tablespoon salt, ½ tablespoon vinegar and 3 cups lukewarm water in a pot. Bring to a boil over high heat and stir occasionally until salt dissolves. Reduce to a bare simmer (medium low heat) and cook until potatoes are tender when poked with a fork. About 13 to 15 minutes. Drain potatoes in a colander. Toss potatoes with 1 tablespoon of vinegar and spread in a single layer on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Allow to cool to room temperature for around 10 minutes.
Combine mustard, yogurt, mayonnaise, olive oil, red onions, scallions, celery, egg, dill and remaining ½ tablespoon vinegar in a large bowl. Using a spatula, add the potatoes and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir again. Cover potato salad and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The potato salad tastes best before serving if you allow it to come to room temperature for a couple hours. Add more yogurt and olive oil if needed before serving. Garnish with sliced green onion ends.
Makes 6-8 side servings.
Ingredients
Directions
Place potatoes, 1 tablespoon salt, ½ tablespoon vinegar and 3 cups lukewarm water in a pot. Bring to a boil over high heat and stir occasionally until salt dissolves. Reduce to a bare simmer (medium low heat) and cook until potatoes are tender when poked with a fork. About 13 to 15 minutes. Drain potatoes in a colander. Toss potatoes with 1 tablespoon of vinegar and spread in a single layer on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Allow to cool to room temperature for around 10 minutes.
Combine mustard, yogurt, mayonnaise, olive oil, red onions, scallions, celery, egg, dill and remaining ½ tablespoon vinegar in a large bowl. Using a spatula, add the potatoes and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir again. Cover potato salad and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The potato salad tastes best before serving if you allow it to come to room temperature for a couple hours. Add more yogurt and olive oil if needed before serving. Garnish with sliced green onion ends.
Makes 6-8 side servings.