Ligurian Potato Salad

I used to always hate potato salad (and generally don’t think much of most varieties now) but I can’t stop eating this one. Whenever the situation calls for potato salad, I volunteer to make this one, and it always seems to entice even potato salad-haters, which is a particular pleasure of mine.

I was taught to make this with Ligurian olives. I was never clear if this is how they make potato salad in Liguria or if we just happened to be using Ligurian olives and that’s just what we called it. Potatoes pair extremely well with acid and salt, so virtually any kind of olives will work well. You’re probably better off with fleshy ones, as well as ones that have been sitting in an interesting and complimentary brine – so not the jarred, pimento-stuffed variety that tend to sit in a watery brine, or the oil-cured kind that are dry. I believe that Ligurian olives are generally cured in an herbed brine, so this will no doubt contribute mightily to the final dish. To remove the pits from olives that you’re going to chop, spread out the olives on the cutting board. Take a heavy, broad-bottomed object like a jar or a can, coat the bottom with tin foil for cleanliness sake, and press down or smash down on the olives, one at a time. The olive will smash, and you will easily be able to remove the pit by hand.

Some notes on potatoes: I’m sure I’ve covered this elsewhere in this collection, but always start potatoes in cold water. The flesh cooks so rapidly that if you plunge raw potatoes into boiling water, the outside will get mushy and slimy by the time the center is cooked. Also, you’ll want to use waxy potatoes for this, that is to say, not russets, or baking potatoes, etc. Waxy potatoes have smooth skin – Yukon golds, or red potatoes. They hold their shape better when cooked, so are more ideally suited for potato salad, soups, and some roast potato recipes, whereas russets become fluffier when cooked, and are better suited for mashed, smashed, baked, and frying. Last note about potatoes: you want to add the acid when the potatoes are hot, since they’ll absorb it more evenly. I don’t know the science behind this or if it’s actually true.

Finally, this ain’t your supermarket deli potato salad, so go easy on the mayo there, stud. In this case it’s there to add a bit of creaminess and flavor, but also to bind and evenly distribute all of the ingredients in the salad.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds waxy potatoes
• ½ cup Ligurian olives, or other fleshy olive
• ½ cup white wine vinegar
• 2-3 heaping TBS mayonnaise
• 1 TBS grainy mustard
• Juice of 1 lemon
• ½ small red onion, chopped
• 2 handfuls fresh parsley leaves, minced
• Salt and coarsely cracked black pepper

Directions:

Scrub your potatoes thoroughly and fill a large pot of cold water. Slice the potatoes into 1½-inch cubes, adding to the water as you do, so that they don’t turn brown or dry out. To do so, slice of one end lengthwise, so that the thickest part is the 1.5 inch. Place the potato on the cutting board, cut-side down, so that it is lying flat, then slice across in 1.5-inch slices (usually two or three per potato). Rotate the slices 90 one full turn, so that the initial cut side is on the right, and make them flush with the side of your knife. Then make another series of 1.5-inch cuts, rotate the whole stack another 90 degrees so that your cuts will now be perpendicular to the last ones you made, and slice across in 1.5-inch intervals. Slide the cubes off the knife and into the cold water. You will be left with some oddly-shaped ends, which is ok – slice those at the end and don’t worry about the thin stuff, since some potato-y, starchy stuff in the mix is actually desirable, to help bind the whole thing.

Generously salt the water and add a ¼ cup of the vinegar. Place on high heat and begin to prepare your other ingredients. Chop the onion and set aside. Place the olives on the cutting board and remove the pits, then mince finely and set aside. Mince the parsley, juice and strain the lemon.

When the potatoes are fully cooked through but still firm, drain them and place in a large bowl. Add the lemon juice, the rest of the vinegar, and salt, tossing to distribute evenly. Add the rest of the ingredients, and stir vigorously to combine. Taste to evaluate and adjust seasoning.

Place in the refrigerator and chill through, then toss before serving and enjoying.