Potato Salad

Everyone has a version of potato salad. Most of us have two or three. I now prefer potato salad without mayonnaise and without a creamy dressing, and my requirement is that it be freshly made - that is to say, it’s to be eaten within a few hours of being made. Anything with mayonnaise is likely to be refrigerated, and I dislike the texture of refrigerated potatoes.

This, pictured, is my latest version. It grew out of some research into Viennese cooking, where I found that steamed potatoes (usually sliced) were generously sprinkled with white wine. I had always dressed the cooked potatoes with vinegar first because it seems to make the potatoes lighter to eat. So now I use a combination of white wine and vinegar of lemon juice while the potatoes are still hot.

I have found that steaming the potatoes gives a much better result than boiling them - even than boiling them whole and peeling them.

While the potatoes were still warm, I added some very finely chopped celery, and a chopped spring onion. It depends on the quantity of potatoes, now much celery, and how many spring onions. Then I add some oil (I always use an Australian extra virgin olive oil) and check it for seasoning.

This time, I added a tablespoon of two of cooked lentils. I happened to have some tinned lentils - by accident. (I had wanted to make hummus and opened a can of chickpeas, but the can was wrongly labelled, and there were lentils instead.)

The added lentils were a very pleasant addition, adding a different texture and a new flavour note, but I’m not sure it’s worth opening a can of lentils just for this. Still, if you can some in the house, or some leftover lentil salad, add a tablespoon or two.

The celery and spring onion gave a delicious crunch.

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