Potato salad: three flavours
LEVEL: Beginners
INGREDIENTS
SERVES 4500g new potatoes olive oil
either flavour 1
4 tbsp labneh
4 spring onions, chopped
1 tsp nigella seeds
1 garlic clove, peeled and mashed
or flavour 2
zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp chopped dill juice of ½ lemon
or flavour 3
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp cumin seeds good pinch of chilli flakes good pinch of dried thyme
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
2 Ubsp chopped coriander
METHOD
Keep the potatoes whole when you cook them; that way you can chop them to exactly the size you want and you won’t end up with any mushy bits at the end. For me, the key is to add the dressing while the potatoes are still warm so they absorb all the flavours.
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Add the potatoes, bring back to the boil then cover and simmer for around 15 minutes until they are tender when you push a knife in. Drain well.
For the first two salads put all the flavouring ingredients into a bowl with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, seasoning well. Roughly chop the drained potatoes then add them to the bowl – I actually chop mine in the bowl with a knife. I try to keep the potatoes quite chunky but go for the texture you want.
For the third salad, put 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a frying pan with the garlic, turmeric, cumin, chilli and thyme and cook for a minute or two until the garlic starts to turn golden. Add the pomegranate molasses and roughly chopped potatoes, tossing them round until they’re crisp and have absorbed all the spices.
Stir the coriander through just before serving. Serve warm for the best flavour.
MY SECRET
I always cook more potatoes than I need, so I have them ready for another night. They’re absolutely fine in the fridge for about three to five days once you put them in a lidded container.
