{"id":2138,"date":"2015-06-08T14:49:24","date_gmt":"2015-06-08T13:49:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thecherryplumkitchen.com\/?p=2138"},"modified":"2015-06-08T22:11:19","modified_gmt":"2015-06-08T21:11:19","slug":"french-style-potato-salad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thecherryplumkitchen.com\/?p=2138","title":{"rendered":"French-Style Potato Salad"},"content":{"rendered":"
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French-Style potato salad as opposed to one that’s dressed in mayonnaise or soured cream. \u00a0I did play about with calling it ‘Herby Potato Salad’ because there are a lot of herbs, but the vinaigrette dressing swung it. \u00a0In my house, this is just called ‘Potato Salad’. \u00a0It’s my default setting for any summertime barbecue and I love it – not least because it’ll sit in the sunshine without coming to any harm.<\/p>\n

\"Herby<\/a><\/p>\n

You know how chefs say they go to the market and look for what’s fresh and their imaginations start buzzing with ideas of what they’ll create .. well, it wasn’t quite like that. \u00a0I went to the supermarket and there was a trolley full of reduced Jersey Royal potatoes .. and I immediately thought, ‘Good, potato salad’.<\/p>\n

Does that count??? \u00a0It’s certainly the way I cook.<\/p>\n

\"Herby<\/a><\/p>\n

Jersey Royals are usually expensive and have EU protected status. \u00a0The reason is not the type of potato but the growing conditions. \u00a0They’re been grown on the island of Jersey since 1880 and are planted on the steep south facing coastal slopes in well-drained and nutrient-rich soil. \u00a0Vraic, which is the dialect word for the locally collected seaweed, is used as a fertiliser and the steep slopes mean much of the crop has to be harvested by hand.<\/p>\n

99% of the harvest ends up on the UK mainland, the rest the islanders eat themselves. \u00a0This late in their season they’re getting larger than the ones that appear in May. \u00a0Best are the ones with mud clinging to them – but I’m grateful for my bargain.<\/p>\n

\"Herby<\/a><\/p>\n

With a Jersey Royal it’s skin-on. \u00a0Always. \u00a0The skins are paper thin and all the nutrients are just beneath it. \u00a0I’m inclined to do that with all small waxy potatoes. \u00a0I’m going to sell it on the grounds of health, but I hate scraping potatoes. \u00a0Give them a good wash and, for preference, steam rather than boil. \u00a0Conventionally, it takes about 20 minutes. \u00a0Aga – bring to the boil in cold salted water. \u00a0Give it a couple of minutes on the boiling plate and then drain completely of water. \u00a0Replace the lid and pop into the simmering oven for 30 minutes.<\/p>\n

You are looking for ‘tender at the point of a knife’.<\/p>\n

\"Herby<\/a><\/p>\n

Then cover the saucepan with a clean tea-towel, replace the lid and let it steam dry for a further five minutes.<\/p>\n

\"Herby<\/a><\/p>\n

Hopefully, they’re now dry and cool enough to handle. \u00a0Cut into bite sized pieces. \u00a0Smaller ones I cut in half, the larger potatoes into four.<\/p>\n

\"Herby<\/a><\/p>\n

Place them in a bowl and pour over a glug of white wine. \u00a0Most recipes that call for that will tell you to use what’s left in a bottle. \u00a0Who\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>these people? \u00a0Nigel and I would finish the bottle! \u00a0So, whenever I open a bottle, I take a little bit off the top and freeze it. \u00a0Useful for making a risotto, too, and probably better for us to consume a little less alcohol. \u00a0If you don’t drink alcohol, you could miss this stage out completely or use a little bit of chicken stock.<\/p>\n

\"Herby<\/a><\/p>\n

Give it all a stir and then cover with plastic wrap. \u00a0The potatoes will soak up the wine.<\/p>\n

\"Herby<\/a><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. \u00a0It can be as simple or as complicated as you like. \u00a0Considering the quantity of fresh herbs I’m about to include, I keep it really simple. \u00a0One part good quality white wine vinegar with three parts good olive oil. \u00a0I do spend money on the ingredients for a dressing because they have nowhere to hide. \u00a0In this case I actually didn’t use olive oil but a cold pressed rapeseed oil.<\/p>\n

Then, I added a blob of Dijon Mustard, salt and pepper. \u00a0Give everything a shake and taste. \u00a0Now’s the time to make any adjustments. \u00a0If you don’t use all of it in this potato salad it’s a lovely dressing on a green salad and will keep happily in the fridge for a few days.<\/p>\n

\"Herby<\/a><\/p>\n

The herbs are the stars of the salad. \u00a0Parsley – flat leaf or curly. \u00a0I can’t see that it matters.<\/p>\n

\"Herby<\/a><\/p>\n

Basil.<\/p>\n

\"Herby<\/a><\/p>\n

The easiest way to chop basil is to pile the basil leaves up and roll into a cigar. \u00a0Then chop with the sharp knife. \u00a0If you have any green sludge on your board it’s because your knife is too blunt and you are bruising the herbs rather than chopping them.<\/p>\n

\"Herby<\/a><\/p>\n

And that’s a chiffonade.<\/p>\n

\"Herby<\/a><\/p>\n

I served this potato salad with salmon which made dill an obvious choice. \u00a0In fact, any ‘soft’ herb is lovely and when my herb bed is really flourishing I have fun.<\/p>\n

\"Herby<\/a><\/p>\n

I like the tang of spring onions and chop both the white and green parts. \u00a0When Seb is home from uni I often omit them and use chives in their place. \u00a0Of course, in the interests of honesty, I should mention I get fed up with accommodating his preferences and will revert to spring onions when he’s been home a few weeks. \u00a0(You might like to remind yourself of my problem when making cottage pie<\/a>.) \u00a0Finely chopped shallots are also lovely.<\/p>\n

\"Herby<\/a><\/p>\n

By now the potatoes will have sucked up the alcohol. \u00a0Add as much of the vinaigrette as you need to coat everything, but not so much as you have a pool of it at the bottom of the serving dish. \u00a0Then add the herbs and the spring onions.<\/p>\n

\"Herby<\/a><\/p>\n

If you want to keep this in the fridge, do bring it to room temperature again before you serve it.<\/p>\n

Eat.<\/p>\n

\"Herby<\/a>French-Style Potato Salad<\/strong><\/p>\n

Serves 8 generously<\/em><\/p>\n