Potato salad, maybe greater than some other facet dish, polarizes picnickers. There are those that advocate strongly for the inclusion of mayo and others who abhor its gloopy texture. TikTok sensation and recipe creator Nasim Lahbichi falls firmly within the latter camp, as his North African-inspired potato salad recipe demonstrates.
When Lahbichi was rising up, his Moroccan father ready potato salad with olive oil, whereas his mom caught to a extra conventional mayo-based model. He most well-liked his dad’s. “Moroccans are likely to make numerous salads with greens based mostly on the season, and the bottom is at all times olive oil, some form of acidity, and numerous herbs — dill, cilantro, mint,” he says. “I needed to create one thing in that vein however nonetheless present the creaminess and umami of a traditional potato salad.”
As with all potato salads, the potatoes are a very powerful a part of the method. Lahbichi likes petite varieties, like Dealer Joe’s Teeny Tiny Potatoes, as a result of they’re each uniform in dimension, which helps them prepare dinner evenly, and sufficiently small to boil and eat complete. “They’re nice for individuals who don’t need to do a complete lot of prep,” Lahbichi says. He recommends salting the cooking water completely as soon as it involves a boil, which can be certain that every potato is seasoned from the within out.
As soon as the potatoes are cooked, the remainder of the recipe comes collectively in a single bowl. Lahbichi describes the dressing as much like a mayonnaise, minus the egg. The purple wine vinegar is whisked with high-quality olive oil and Dijon mustard, then Lahbichi stirs in chopped preserved lemon, purple onion, cucumber, and hefty sprinkles of harissa, sumac, and cumin. Should you’re lacking a couple of of these substances, you’ll be able to at all times skip ’em. (Except, in fact, you’re out of potatoes.)
“It truly is as much as you and what you’ve gotten entry to,” he says. “Should you don’t have cucumbers, go away them out. Even simply potatoes with this dressing can be hearth. You probably have completely different herbs, substitute these as a substitute.”
Lahbichi finishes the potato salad with a drizzle of pomegranate molasses; if you wish to get additional fancy, he suggests a sprinkle of pistachios so as to add each crunch and visible enchantment. “Possibly it’s as a result of I’m a Virgo-Taurus,” he says, “however I’m at all times a bit of extra excited to eat one thing lovely.”
Tangy No-Mayo Potato Salad Recipe
Serves 4
Components:
1 pound teeny-tiny potatoes
¼ cup kosher salt
2 Persian cucumbers, diced
⅓ cup chopped dill
⅓ cup chopped parsley
½ preserved lemon, minced (optionally available)
½ purple onion, diced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons purple wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon sumac
1 teaspoon harissa powder (optionally available)
Pomegranate molasses, for garnish
Chopped pistachios, for garnish
Directions:
Step 1: In a big pot, add the potatoes and canopy them with chilly water. Closely salt the water. (**Notice: salting the water the potatoes will prepare dinner in is crucial as a result of it should season the potatoes from inside, very similar to pasta.**) Deliver the potatoes to a boil, after which cut back the warmth to a fast simmer. Prepare dinner for 10 to 12 minutes, or till fork tender. Drain the potatoes.
Step 2: Whereas the potatoes prepare dinner, prep your potato salad add-ins and dressing. Cube the cucumber, chop the dill and parsley, mince the preserved lemon (if utilizing), and cube the purple onion. Add the purple onion to a bowl of ice-cold water, and put aside.
Step 3: In a big bowl, whisk collectively the extra-virgin olive oil, purple wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, cumin, sumac, and harissa powder (if utilizing) till mixed.
Step 4: Add the potatoes to the bowl, and stir gently to mix. I like utilizing the again of a spoon to assist break up the potatoes and add extra textured edges. Add the cucumbers, preserved lemons (if utilizing), dill, parsley, and purple onion to the bowl, then toss to mix.
Step 5: Refrigerate till chilled or serve instantly. When serving, garnish the potato salad with a drizzle of pomegranate molasses and pistachios, if utilizing. Will be made 1 day forward.
Notice: You may substitute the herbs and any of the add-ins with what you’ve gotten entry to. Some herbs that might be beautiful so as to add are cilantro, mint, and scallions. You may also add chopped peppers, diced celery, cubed carrots, and many others.
Dina Ávila is a photographer in Portland, Oregon.
Recipe examined by Ivy Manning
