Potato Salads

I love potato salad. I love potatoes. In all ways - baked, boiled, fried, mashed, roasted - and in all potato dishes - potato salad (as mentioned), gratin dauphinois, rosti, potato cheese soup, double-baked potatoes, potato cutlets, etc, etc, etc. I'm lucky that Albrecht buys me 10-kg bags of potatoes from a nearby farm. When I'm feeling too lazy to cook a proper meal, I sometimes just have boiled potatoes with some olive oil (or butter) and crushed garlic. One of my staples is potato wedges roasted with seasoned salt, dried mixed herbs and chili flakes. I make it so much that Shank has adopted it too as his signature dish; it's always asked for at potlucks.

The best potato I've ever had is the Jersey Royal. They're so good, I can eat them plain. They have a buttery, nutty taste, and a very thin skin. Boiled, some butter and salt, and I'm in potato heaven.

There are so many versions of potato salads. With eggs, without eggs, with onions, without onions, with mustard, without mustard, with mayonnaise, or sour cream, or yoghurt... The very first potato salad I learnt from my mum contained potatoes, chopped hard-boiled eggs, canned pineapple, spring onions, bacon bits and mayonnaise. I still make it now and then, but somehow it tasted better in my memories.. Does that happen to you too with your childhood foods? Our tastebuds develop and change as we grow older and some foods that we simply adored as kids are now simply... bof. (Of course, the converse is also true, I hated aubergine when I was small, but now it's on my fav list.) Since my first potato salad, I've tried so many recipes. I've experimented with warm potato salads with olive oil dressings, mashed potato salads, hot cheesy potato salads, and I loved them all.

Minty potato and green bean salad
from BBC Good Food magazine

500 g new potatoes
200 g green beans
2 shallots
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 handful mint leaves, chopped

Boil the potatoes for 15 minutes or until tender. When the potatoes have 5 minutes cooking time left, tip the beans into the boiling water. Drain and cool under cold running water.

Meanwhile, finely slice the shallots. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with the vinegar and oil then leave for 5 minutes. Toss potatoes and beans in with the shallots and sprinkle with the mint.

Creamy potatoes with peas and pesto
from BBC Good Food magazine

500 g new potatoes
100 g peas
1/2 pot creme fraiche
3 tablespoons pesto

Cut potatoes into thick slices, then boil for 10 minutes. Tip peas into the boiling water for the final 2 minutes of cooking. Drain the potatoes and peas together in a colander and set aside to cool for a few minutes.

Spoon creme fraiche into a large bowl, season to taste, then gently fold in the sliced potatoes. Swirl over the pesto just before serving.