This quick salad dressing tastes so good I can eat it alone by the spoonful. The mellow white miso with its savory flavor is lightly sweetened with grated carrot and honey. Fresh ginger gives the dressing a little kick and roasted sesame seeds add crunch. Serve with peppery, crisp, watercress. Very refreshing!
The original recipe mentions the dressing can be made up to two days in advance of serving, however, I’ve kept it for up to four days and it was just fine.
“Will Drive For Food. ” That’s one of my mottos! And that’s also the title of the article where I found this tasty potato salad recipe. The May 2012 issue of Bon Appétit caught my attention because I for one, will definitely travel for food. Anytime. In this particular article, the authors, Jenny Rosenstrach and Andy Ward, write of stopping at Sally Bell’s Kitchen in Richmond, Virginia, picking up their famous lunch boxes for their drive from New York to South Carolina. Jenny and Andy describe the lunch boxes as consisting of a Smithfield-ham and iceberg sandwich, a deviled egg, a frosted cupcake, and best of all, eggy potato salad topped with a sweet pickle chip. Doesn’t that sound like the perfect afternoon road trip meal?
The recipe calls for using only the egg yolks however I couldn’t waste those lovely egg whites so I included half of them in the salad. The others we ate on the spot, sprinkled with salt and pepper. Yum!
Yukon Gold or red potatoes work well in this salad. I found some nice Yukon Golds so that’s what I used.
The potatoes are coarsely smashed instead of cubed. This makes for a very creamy sort of potato salad.
The pickle juice adds a sweet and tart flavor to the dressing.
Eggy Potato Salad with Pickles
Adapted from Bon Appétit May 2012
Serves 6 as a side dish
Ingredients
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons sweet pickle juice plus 8 – 10 sweet-pickle chips
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 large hard-boiled eggs, separated, egg yolks smashed finely plus two egg whites finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped red or Maui onion
1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley
Paprika
Preparation
Place potatoes in a large pot. Add water to cover by 2 inches, add 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes or so. Drain. Place potatoes in a large bowl and let cool slightly.
Whisk mayonnaise, pickle juice, Dijon, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Using a large wooden spoon, coarsely smash potatoes, leaving some larger pieces mixed with some well mashed pieces.
Add dressing, egg yolks, egg whites to potatoes and a toss to coat. Add onion and parsley, gently mix to incorporate. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill before serving.
Divide potato salad among small plates or bowls, dust with paprika and top with a sliced dill pickle chip or two.
I have this salad at least once a week, it’s that good. One of the primary ingredients is also one of my favorites: radicchio. Its color adds a beautiful splash to salads and I enjoy its slightly bitter flavor. The combination of the crunchy lettuce, hearty beans, savory bits of cheese and salami and a zesty oregano infused dressing is superb. Radicchio keeps well for a week or so and can be freshened up in a bath of ice water if needed.
(Updated 1/02/14 – a bit more vinegar and less olive oil from original post)
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 small garlic clove, grated
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salad
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced
1/2 head radicchio, thinly sliced
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes cut in halves
3/4 cup chick peas, rinsed and drained
1/4 small red or white onion, sliced into thin slivers
1 1/2 ounces (about 8 slices) peppered salami
1/8 pound provolone or cheese of your choice, cut into 1/8 inch slices
1/8 cup sliced pepperoncini
Preparation
Whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil, whisking to form an emulsified vinaigrette. Taste and adjust seasonings adding extra salt, pepper and lemon juiced if you prefer a more tart dressing.
Combine shredded lettuce, radicchio, tomatoes, chick peas, onion, salami, cheese, and pepperoncini in a salad bowl. Drizzle vinaigrette, tablespoon by tablespoon over the salad tossing gently to combine and evenly coat all ingredients.
This is one of my favorite salads. It’s full of fresh herbs, peppery arugula, tangy feta, and briny capers and olives. Thanks to the San Francisco Chronicle for posting their recipe “Cypriot Village Salad.”
I’ve made this three times in the last month and haven’t tired of it yet. After chopping up the herbs and tomatoes, it’s really just a matter of tossing everything together then enjoying it with a slice of crusty sourdough, whole grain bread or a hearty sandwich.
Arugula Herb Salad with Feta & Olives
Adapted from the San Francisco Chronicle
2 generous servings
Ingredients
2 mini or 1/2 medium cucumber, cut in half lengthwise then cut into 1/3 inch thick slices
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
2 small tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped dill
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped mint
1 tablespoon capers
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
juice of 1/2 small lemon
3 ounces feta cheese, cut into small chunks
1/4 cup assorted pitted olives
1 bunch arugula, about 2 ounces
salt and pepper
Preparation
Toss together the cucumber, garlic, tomatoes, green onions, dill, cilantro, mint and capers in a large bowl. Dress with the olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice. Just before serving, add the feta, olives and arugula. Toss and season with salt and pepper.
It is thought that radishes originated from China thousands of years ago. They belong to the mustard and cabbage family and are related to wasabi (horseradish). Many people love to snack on raw radishes which is a good thing since they are nutritious, and 1 cup of radishes has just 20 calories. In this recipe the radishes are thinly sliced and tossed into the potato salad along with homemade cucumber pickles. Their color and zingy flavor are lovely in this salad.
Thinly sliced Maui onion. Use a sweet onion if Maui onions are not available.
I can’t live without my “little Bennie” mandoline. It makes perfectly thin slices of cucumbers, radishes and onions in no time at all.
Dilly Potato Salad with Cucumber Pickles & Radishes
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/3 inch slices
3/4 pound Japanese or English cucumber, very thinly sliced
4 – 6 radishes, very thinly sliced
1/2 cup Maui or sweet onion, very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
5 tablespoons white vinegar
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup mayonnaise, more or less (I use light mayonnaise)
Preparation
Combine vinegar and salt in a small bowl until salt dissolves. Place cucumber slices and 1 1/2 tablespoons dill in Ziploc bag. Add vinegar mixture, seal bag. Turn several times to coat. Refrigerate overnight, turning bag occasionally.
Pour cucumber mixture into a sieve set over a bowl. Drain at least 1 hour. Discard brine.
Cook the potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 6 – 7 minutes. Drain and cool potatoes completely. Place the potatoes in a large bowl and sprinkle generously with kosher salt and pepper. Add the drained cucumbers, onion, sliced radishes and remaining 1/2 tablespoon dill. Toss to blend. Stir in mayonnaise, then cover and refrigerate. The salad is best served the day it is made however it can be made one day in advance. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving. Garnish with sprigs of dill and whole radishes before serving (optional).
Smokey, crispy, salty. Those three words describe one of my favorite foods: bacon. Served for breakfast alongside poached or fried eggs, stacked on your favorite bread with a big slice of tomato or crumbled over your favorite mac & cheese recipe, it is divine. A few pieces of crumbled bacon will turn any salad into a scrumptious salad. I adapted this recipe found on Epicurious by making a few adjustments to the dressing as well as the salad ingredients. The 1/4 cup brown sugar made the dressing too sweet and the 1/2 onion was overpowering. Cutting back these two ingredients as well as adding less oil made a perfectly balanced dressing with a hint of sweetness and tartness from the red wine vinegar. The dressing is also very good served on iceberg lettuce wedges, with crumbled bacon, of course.
I found a very good applewood smoked bacon at Costco. It comes in a double packet each weighing 2 pounds. Four pounds is a lot of bacon, especially if you are only cooking for two, however, it’s just too good a deal to pass up. I wrap up portions and freeze them to use later.
Puree all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth and emulsified. I use my immersion blender. It works well for small recipes and clean up is quick. Refrigerate dressing until you are ready to serve the salad.
Salad
8 ounces baby spinach, washed and dried
5 ounces white mushrooms, sliced very thin
thinly sliced Maui or sweet onion – as much as you like
Layer salad beginning with spinach followed by mushrooms, onions, bacon, eggs, sunflower seeds if using and almonds. Drizzle a generous amount of dressing over the salad and toss to coat well. Serve immediately.
This quick salad dressing tastes so good I can eat it alone by the spoonful. The mellow white miso with its savory flavor is lightly sweetened with grated carrot and honey. Fresh ginger gives the dressing a little kick and roasted sesame seeds add crunch. Serve with peppery, crisp, watercress. Very refreshing!
The original recipe mentions the dressing can be made up to two days in advance of serving, however, I’ve kept it for up to four days and it was just fine.
