Ottolenghi's Potato Salad
Chef and restauranteur Yotam Ottolenghi's German-style potato salad is uniquely made with chicken broth, and topped with crispy pancetta and paprika oil.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Yukon Gold or other waxy potatoes
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 small onion finely chopped (¾ cup)
- 1 garlic clove crushed to a paste
- ¾ cup chicken stock
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp black peppercorns coarsely crushed in a mortar and pestle
- 15 g chives two-thirds finely chopped and one-third cut into ½-inch lengths
- 75 g diced smoked pancetta
- 1 tsp paprika
- ¼ cucumber sliced lengthwise, seeded and cut into ¼-inch/ ½cm dice (100g)
- Salt
Instructions
- Put the potatoes into a medium saucepan, for which you have a lid. Add just enough water to cover, salt generously and place on medium-high heat.
- Bring to a boil, then decrease the heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for 20–25 minutes, until just tender.
- Drain and, once cool enough to handle, remove the skins from the potatoes and slice into ¼-inch/½cm-thick rounds. Set aside in a medium bowl.
- Put 2 tablespoons of the oil into a medium sauté pan and place on medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 12–15 minutes, stirring regularly, until caramelized. Add the garlic and stock, bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat.
- Add the mustard, vinegar, 1¼ teaspoons of salt, the pepper, and another 2 tablespoons of oil. Whisk to combine, then pour the mixture over the potatoes.
- Mix gently but thoroughly: it will look wet (and some of the potatoes will break up), but this is normal. Set aside for about 2 hours, for the potatoes to soak up about half the broth, and then stir in the finely chopped chives.
- Meanwhile, wipe clean the sauté pan and place on medium-high heat. Add the pancetta, decrease the heat to medium-low, and cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pancetta is crispy. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate lined with paper towels— leave about 1 tablespoon of the fat in the pan— and set aside. Once cool, finely chop the pancetta into crumbles.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the fat in the pan, along with the paprika. Stir for 30 seconds or so, until fragrant, then remove from the heat.
- When ready to serve, fold the cucumber into the potato salad and transfer to a serving plate. Scatter the pancetta crumbles over the top, along with the cut chives. Spoon on the paprika oil and serve.