Recipe: Purple Potato Salad

Cookbook

Purple Peruvian Potatoes

This is a very high-starch, almost mealy textured potato with thick, shiny skin that must be peeled after cooking, and indigo flesh streaked with white.

It's a medium-sized, oval potato with an assertive, earthy flavor and an inherent dryness that begs for a sauce. I find it best served cold, in a stunning salad.

Substitutes: All Blue, All Red

Purple Potato Salad

Yield: 8 Servings

The intense, eye-catching color of this potato salad sets it apart. Although the potatoes of choice are often called Peruvian, the salad owes no particular allegiance to the intriguing cuisine of that country. Instead, it again proves how easily potatoes cross borders. For an inventive twist, consider preparing the salad with a mixture of purple or blue potatoes, All Reds (page 100 of the book), and snowy Creamers (page 26), and double or triple the recipe for a summer buffet. The color of the potatoes is more vibrant with this zesty vinaigrette dressing than it would be with a creamy mayonnaise. But could anything be more American than potato salad for the Fourth of July, and one that's red, white, and blue to boot?

3 pounds medium Purple Peruvian Potatoes, scrubbed
2 tablespoons anchovy paste
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 to 3 jalapeño chiles, seeded and minced, or to taste
1 tablespoon fmely graLed lemon zest
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup finely chopped scallion
1/2 cup minced fresh mint
1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, decrease the heat to a simmer, and cook for about 20 minutes, until just tender. Drain and allow to cool for about 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, dissolve the anchovy paste in a little of the vinegar, then stir in the remaining vinegar. Slowly whisk in the oil until emulsified, then fold in the jalapeños and lemon zest.

Peel the potatoes and slice them 1/3-inch thick. Place in a bowl and toss lightly with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the dressing over the potatoes, add the scallions, mint, and parsley, and toss again. Serve at once or set aside for up to 2 hours at room temperature before serving.

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from:
The Great Potato Book
by Florence Fabricant
Foreword by Charlie Trotter
Ten Speed Press 2001
$15.95 paper; 160 pages
ISBN: 1-58008-185-1
Reprinted by permission.

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