A Kind Of Austrian Style Potato Salad…

Dec 5

Maybe you would like to know that the original name, “erdäpfelsalat” comes from the old German word for potatoes, “erdapfel”, which translated word by word means “earth-apple”. It’s good to know if you visit Austria and find “erdäpfelsalat” on a restaurant menu.

You can find a very nice and complete description of this salad on ”Serious Eats” blog (https://www.seriouseats.com/erdapfelsalat-austrian-style-potato-salad-recipe). I also found there interesting things about potatoes, like the fact that storing them in the refrigerator for about two weeks, gives them more sweetness when cooked. In the following lines you’ll find my version, prepared after a trip in Austria and a few searches for the recipe :).

The steps

Peel the carrots, the onions and the celery and cut them in medium dice pieces.
Cut the peeled potatoes in large pieces. If you have small potatoes you can let them whole or if you have medium potatoes you can cut them in two. For the bigger ones, go for 2-3 cm thick pieces.
In a 18-20 cm pot or casserole, add about 1.5 litres of water, bring to a boil, add the vegetables then reduce the heat and let them simmer for about 10 minutes.
Add the potatoes and let them simmer with the vegetables for about 25 minutes, or until they are soft and cooked. You can check them fore doneness with a fork.
Take the potatoes out from the simmering water and let them cool down on a deep plate. You can sprinkle over the balsamic vinegar because the potatoes will absorb it better when they are hot.
Keep the water and the vegetables, you’ll need them for the dressing.
Slice the boiled potatoes in 0.5 cm thick pieces, season them with salt and pepper and place them in a large bowl.
For the dressing, add in the blender 100 grams of boiled potatoes, a few boiled carrot pieces, 200 ml of the boiling water, the olive oil, the lemon juice, a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper. Blend for about 1 minute at medium speed. The boiling water is basically a vegetable stock and it also contains a lot of starch from the potatoes, so you’ll get a nice fluffy creamy sauce.
Pour the dressing over the potatoes in the bowl, but in small batches while mixing gently. The potatoes should be covered with a delicate layer of dressing but definitely they shouldn’t look like floating in a thick sauce.
Serve them hot as a side dish near whatever meat or fish you prefer. Some baked parmesan flakes and o poached egg might be also an option.
Enjoy !!!

INGREDIENTS - for two portions

Organic or “Best you can get” !