Perfect purple potato salad

A colourful variation on a classic dish!

Ever since I figured out a better way to make potato salad, I’ve enjoyed its flavour a lot more. Cooking the potatoes in salted water is an important first step; dousing them in vinegar as soon as your drain them is the real magic, though. The acid seeps into the potatoes giving them a pleasant tang, which means you don’t need an acidic dressing to get a lovely sweet-sour profile. When I spied gorgeous purple potatoes from Just Farms in my August Farmers’ Feast Basket from the Ottawa Farmers’ Market, I knew right away what I wanted to do with them. Unlike some vibrant vegetables such as purple beans that lose all their colour when cooked, purple potatoes maintain a pretty great hue that is showcased in a dish like potato salad. Of course you can make this recipe with regular potatoes also, thought it won’t be quite so showy.

Ingredients

• 1 pint (about 500 mL) small purple potatoes
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) coarse salt
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) minced red onion
• 1 stalk celery, finely diced
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) finely diced red pepper
• 1 dill pickle, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 mL) freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 mL) salt
• 3/4 teaspoon (3.75 mL) powdered mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon (3.75 mL) crushed coriander seeds
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) minced fresh celery or parsley leaves

Method

• Wash potatoes. Do not peel. Cut into 1” (2.5 cm) pieces and place in a large saucepan. Add just enough water to barely cover.
• Sprinkle with salt and bring to boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. (6 – 8 minutes).
• Drain potatoes in a colander and transfer to large bowl. Add vinegar and toss gently.
• Let stand at room temperature for at least 20 minutes or up to 2 hours. If letting stand for longer, refrigerate.
• In a small bowl, stir together onion, coriander, red pepper, pickle, seasonings and mayonnaise.
• Gently fold dressing into cooled potatoes.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

Serves 3 – 4.