Lakes Region Foodie — Potato salads from across the pond

One of the favorite and most traditional summer dishes is potatoes salad. The possibilities are endless and, depending where you are, so many of the variations can take on the favorites of your locality. We all enjoy our typical American version but other cuisines have made the perennial favorite their own, with the addition of seafood, various vegetables and a variety of dressings.

The ground rules of a traditional potato salad apply, i.e. don’t peel potatoes before cooking, use a low starch potato such as fingerling, red bliss, or white eastern, sometimes called “all-purpose white,” or the potato called for in the recipe.

If you choose to peel the potatoes the day before cooking, keep them covered in cold water until ready to cook; this keeps them from getting soggy and losing many of their good nutrients as well as discolorization.

Marie's French Potato Salad

I spent my junior year of college studying in Paris, and I lived with a delightful couple, Monsieur and Madame Jean LeBidois, in their apartment on the Rue de Rome. They employed Marie, an apple-cheeked Breton housekeeper, who would roll the breakfast cart – laden with cafe au lait and fresh bread – down the long hall with all the solemnity of a soldier driving a tumbrel to the guillotine. In a sonorous voice she would announce, "C'est servie, Mademoiselle." She also prepared the noon meal, and her potato salad was one of my favorites. Marie is long departed, but the memory of her simple but delicious salad is not. It was my first introduction to potato salad without mayonnaise, and the beginning of a lifelong love affair with good food.

Serves 6 to 8.

2 pounds red potatoes

1 small yellow onion, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh curly parsley

1 hard-boiled eggs, quartered (optional)

Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup white wine vinegar or cider vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon minced fresh curly parsley

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

In a heavy saucepan that accommodates the potatoes without crowding, cover potatoes with cold water and 1 tsp. salt per quart of water. Cover the pot partially, bring to a boil, and cook until tender when pierced with a knife. For potatoes 2-3 inches thick, it will take about 20-25 minutes after the water has returned to a boil. Avoid piercing potatoes repeatedly to test for doneness, or too much moisture will seep in and produce a soggy interior. When done, drain into colander and return to the warm cooking pan. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place in a salad bowl and add the minced onion while still warm.

To make the vinaigrette, in a small bowl whisk together the vinegar and salt to "melt" the salt. Gradually whisk in the olive oil until an emulsion forms. Whisk in the parsley and the pepper.

Pour about 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette over the potatoes and toss gently but thoroughly. Add more dressing if the mixture is too dry.

If serving immediately, garnish the salad with chopped parsley, and, if you wish, with the hard-boiled eggs. Or, cover and refrigerate for up to 6 hours. Bring to room temperature and garnish before serving.

(This recipe is the property of Chronicle Books, Barbara Lauterbach)

Portuguese Potato Salad

There is a large Portuguese population in southern New England, and they have contributed richly to the culinary scene. In my opinion, sausages are among their greatest contributions. I have found that linguiça and chouriço sausage rely on basically the same ingredients-pork, garlic, paprika- but vary in taste because of the formula used by sausage makers. Linguiça generally has a mild flavor, while Chouriço is hotter. When in doubt, try a spicy andouille sausage or choose what you like, depending on your heat tolerance.

Serves 6 to 8

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

3/4 pound linguiça or chouriço sausage, cut into 1/4-inch-slices and slices halved

1 cup drained canned garbanzo beans, rinsed and well drained

1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup chopped celery

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Dressing:

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Dash of salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon anchovy paste

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Cut unpeeled potatoes in two or three sections. In a heavy sauce pan, cover potatoes with water and 1 tsp salt per quart of water. Cover the pot partially, bring to a boil, cook until tender. For potatoes 2-3 inches thick, this will take about 20-25 minutes after water has returned to boil. Drain potatoes and return them to the cooking pan. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut into half-inch cubes.

To make the dressing, in a small bowl whisk together vinegar, salt and pepper, until salt dissolves. Whisk in mustard and anchovy paste until blended. Gradually whisk in 4 tbs of olive oil until an emulsion forms. If the dressing is too thick whisk in remaining tbs of olive oil. Set aside. Add sausage, beans, bell pepper, onion, celery, and parsley to the potatoes. Pour dressing over all and toss gently but thoroughly. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Bring to room temp before serving.

Hot Potato and Bratwurst Salad

Although this is not technically a salad, no collection of my potato favorites would be complete without it. While living in Germany for four years, my family and I looked forward to this hearty dish on cold nights. It is important to find good-quality bratwurst or weisswurst (white bratwurst) for this recipe which comes from Mimi Sheraton's excellent The German Cookbook. It was my bible during our stay!

Serves 4 to 6

2 1/2 pounds all-purpose potatoes

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small bits, plus 3 to 4 tablespoons butter, melted

6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

6 to 8 bratwursts or weisswursts about 1 1/2 pounds total

Sweet mustard, preferably flavored with horseradish

2 to 3 tablespoons fine cracker crumbs

Preheat the oven to 450°. Butter a 9-13-inch baking dish.

Have ready a bowl three-fourths full of water. Very thinly slice the potatoes, making the slices as uniform as possible. (If the potatoes are not the same thickness, some will be cooked while others will remain raw.) As the potatoes are sliced add them to the water. Let stand 5 minutes, then drain and dry on paper towels.

Arrange a single layer of the potato slices in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and some of the Parmesan cheese and dot with some of the butter. Repeat to create more layers, sprinkling each one with the seasonings and cheese and dot with the butter. Season the final layer with salt and pepper and top with all but 2 tablespoons of the cheese and all the remaining butter bits. Place the potatoes in middle of 450' oven and bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a saucepan filled with water to a gentle boil, add the sausage and parboil for 5 minutes. Remove the sausages from the water and cut a lengthwise slit down the center of each one. Fill each gash with some mustard.

When the potatoes have baked for 15 minutes, place the sausages on top of them. Brush the sausages with melted butter, and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cheese. Sprinkle the cracker crumbs over the sausages and top potato layer. Bake until the potatoes are soft when pierced with a knife and the sausages are nicely browned on top, about 20 minutes longer. Serve directly from the baking dish.