Warm Potato and Caper Salad
No mayonnaise anywhere near it. Potatoes crushed slightly while hot so the dressing gets into the cracks, then capers, dill and enough mustard to make it interesting.
- Prep 10 min
- Cook 20 min
- Total 30 min
- Serves 6
- Vegan
Method
Step 1. Put the potatoes in a large pan of cold water with the salt. Starting them in cold water cooks them evenly; dropping them into boiling water gives you a mushy outside and a raw middle.
Step 2. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until a knife slides into the largest one with no resistance at all.
Step 3. While they cook, whisk the dressing in the bottom of a large serving bowl until it is thick and emulsified.
Step 4. Drain the potatoes and leave them in the colander for 2 minutes to steam dry.
Step 5. Tip them straight into the dressing while they are properly hot. Hot potatoes absorb dressing; cold ones just get coated.
Step 6. Press about a third of them lightly with the back of a fork — just enough to split them open. The broken surfaces are what soak up the mustard.
Step 7. Fold in the capers, spring onions, cornichons and most of the herbs. Season and let it sit for 10 minutes.
Step 8. Taste again before serving. Potatoes swallow salt and acid as they cool, so it almost always needs another pinch and a splash of vinegar.
Notes from the kitchen
- Capers in salt are better than capers in vinegar, but they need a proper soak — 10 minutes in cold water, then drain.
- Serve it warm or at room temperature, never fridge cold. Cold turns the olive oil cloudy and the potatoes chalky.
- A handful of rocket folded in at the last second makes it a whole lunch.
