Potato Salad Epicurious

[Fisseha Aranda]

Tocook potatoes, always start them in cold water. If you toss potatoes into hot water the outsides will overcook and the insides will undercook, and it'll be a textural mess. So have a pot of cold water next to you as you peel (or don't) and slice your potatoes, and put them directly into that water as you go, which will prevent the potatoes from oxidizing. Add a generous sprinkling of salt and a splash of vinegar to the water to season as well as help keep the potatoes from overcooking, and then bring it to a boil over medium heat. Turn it down to a simmer, and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender, 15 minutes to half an hour depending on the size and type of your potatoes.

While the potatoes cook, you have plenty of time to tinker with a dressing for them. Here's the most important thing to note: Potato salads do not have to be dressed with mayonnaise. But they can be, if you want. Or if you hate mayo, but want a creamy dressing, try using sour cream or yogurt instead.

Once your dressing is ready and the potatoes are cooked, drain the potatoes and toss them in dressing until they're fully coated. The hot potatoes will absorb more of the dressing than they would if they were cold. Let the dish chill if you want to serve it cool or at room temperature, or go ahead and serve it hot. If you're serving it cold, wait for it to chill before you taste and adjust the seasoning and add the extras (see below). But if you're serving it warm, go ahead and taste it and add more salt or acid or dressing as needed.

This sweet potato and Yukon Gold salad gets a kick from Jamaican jerk seasoning, which is tamed a bit by creamy mayonnaise. Note: the salad can be made up to two days ahead, but it will continue to get spicier.

I wish I were smart enough to have stumbled upon this idea on my own. Alas, I am not. Luckily, former Epi editor Paula Forbes is smart, having developed this very technique a few years back. Paula had made a mountain of potato salad for a cookout and was left with only a slightly smaller mountain of leftover potato salad after the party was over. Faced with a fridge full of the stuff, Paula's leftover potato salad ennui soon set in. She didn't want to throw it out, so she threw it in the oven instead. Presto, potato.

Place the sweet potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until just tender, 7 to 10 minutes (don't overcook or your salad will be mushy and falling apart.) Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

While the potatoes are cooking, make the dressing. Whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, cilantro, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Add the red bell pepper and scallions to the potatoes and toss with the dressing. Season again with salt and pepper. Serve warm or refrigerate and bring to room temperature before serving.

Peel potatoes and cut in half. Add potatoes and chives to dressing and toss well. Season salad with additional lemon juice and salt and pepper. Salad may be made 1 day ahead and kept chilled, covered. Before serving, toss salad with 1 to 2 tablespoons water to moisten dressing.

I met twelve-year-old Frank Liranzo when I was teaching a kids' cooking class at the YMCA's environmental camp in Huguenot, New York. The kids learned how to tap trees to make maple syrup, a process I'd read about but never seen in action. Frank was one of the campers, and he got to experience firsthand the old art of making maple syrup. "You put tubes into the trees so the sap flows out," he says. "When it first comes out of the tree, it tastes like sugary water. Then we went to the sugar shack where we saw the sap boiled down until it tasted like syrup." At the camp, I made this Maple-Glazed Tuna with Pear-Potato Salad for the kids. "I thought it would taste really sugary, but it didn't," Frank told me. "First I tasted the fish, then a hint of mustard, and then an aftertaste of the maple syrup." I love how the syrup adds sweetness and a beautiful caramelized crust to the meaty tuna steaks, while the sweetness of the pears in the accompanying potato salad balances nicely with the glazed tuna.

And who, pray tell, is this exotic culinary adventuress named Bella? My eight-year-old Portuguese water dog. For a long time now, she's loved carrots. She literally comes running every time she hears the carrot peeler come out of the drawer. My husband and I thought, "Hmm, that's different for a dog," and played the approving parents. Recently, she's expanded her palate to sweet potatoes. No sooner do they hit the counter than she's singing and dancing around my feet. I quarter and square off the potatoes and fling the ends at her, and she's been known to get some serious hang time as she leaps for them. Seriously, Air Bud's got nothing on Bella. Maybe she heard about how healthful sweet potatoes are: their natural sweetness is perfectly balanced with high fiber content, slowing the rush of sugar into the bloodstream, which is great for the vascular system, and for mood. My experience says that's true; whenever I make this salad, Bella's awfully happy.

Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and a generous pinch of salt and saut until slightly golden, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger, cumin, and paprika and saut for 1 minute. Add the sweet potatoes, water, orange juice, orange zest, lemon zest, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir to combine. Decrease the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.

Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are tender and the liquid is reduced to almost a glaze, about 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice, maple syrup, and olives and stir gently to combine. Taste; you may want to add a pinch of salt or squeeze of lemon juice. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with the parsley and almonds. Serve at room temperature.

Stir vinegar and 4 teaspoons coarse salt in small bowl until salt dissolves. Place cucumbers and 1/2 cup dill in heavy 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add vinegar mixture; seal bag. Turn several times to coat. Refrigerate overnight, turning bag occasionally.

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain. Cool potatoes completely. Peel potatoes; quarter lengthwise. Cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place potatoes in large bowl; sprinkle generously with coarse salt and pepper. Add drained cucumbers, onion, sliced radishes, and remaining 3 tablespoons dill; toss to blend. Let stand 1 hour. Stir mayonnaise into salad. Season generously with salt and pepper, if desired. (Salad can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Spread the sweet potato rounds and onion wedges on a baking sheet, drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast, shaking the baking sheet halfway through, until the sweet potatoes are golden brown and tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, season the warm farro with the vinegar, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, salt, and pepper. Add the sweet potato, onion, radish, dill, pistachios, and goat cheese. To finish, drizzle the salad with the lemon juice and sprinkle with smoked paprika, flaky sea salt, and pepper. If the dish seems a little dry, drizzle it with extra oil.

Combine the mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, celery, red onion, apple-cider vinegar, dill, celery seed, and chopped eggs in a large bowl. Fold in the warm potatoes, and toss to combine. Cover the salad with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight for the best flavor.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the cubed potatoes and a generous pinch of salt, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes in a colander, and cool. In a large bowl, combine the onion, celery, 2 chopped eggs, pickle relish, Miracle Whip, yellow mustard, sugar, and salt to taste. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the potatoes. Transfer the salad to a serving container, top with the sliced egg, and sprinkle with paprika. Cover the salad with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight for the fullest flavor.

Put the potatoes in a large pot and add enough cold water to cover. Add 1 tablespoon salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain well, let cool slightly, and then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Put the potatoes in a large bowl and cover with aluminum foil to keep them warm while you prepare the dressing.

Whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, lemon juice, horseradish, mustards, and honey in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Pour over the potatoes, add the lobster, tarragon, and parsley, and fold gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper. The salad can be refrigerated for up to 8 hours. It is best served at room temperature.

This recipe was an excuse to combine our favorite potato chip flavor with the creamy, salty "salad" of our dreams. To hammer that home, the whole dish is topped with crumbled sour cream and onion potato chips.

Bread and butter pickles add an appealing texture and vinegary kick; Creole mustard and a dash of hot sauce balance the sweetness. For the best flavor, chill this potato recipe a few hours (or up to one day) before serving, so the flavors meld.

On the latest episode of Epicurious' 4 Levels series, Director of Stewarding and Purchasing Joe Pace shares his mayonnaise-free potato salad recipe that's served warm with Brussels sprouts, bacon, green apple and dill.

Chef Joe always uses fingerling potatoes for potato salad because they're dense, hold their shape and taste good. He cooks Brussels sprouts in the fat from triple-smoked slab bacon before roasting, makes a vinaigrette, uses egg yolks and whites, and pickles onions a week in advance to garnish the dish.

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