Dinner Tonight: Tyler Florence's Ultimate Potato Salad
It feels like August in New York, and even the thought of standing in front of a hot grill makes me sweat. But despite the weather, we are officially in grilling season—when we gather for those endless casual Sunday parties where everyone eats and drinks for hours and shows up with a side dish. Salads, watermelon, and of course, potato salad.
I approached this recipe with suspicion: I already have my own private potato salad which makes brilliant use of limes and stays light by using plain yogurt. Yet Tyler Florence claims this recipe is the greatest in the world, part of his cookbook Tyler's Ultimate. I'll admit it's quite good, if a little heavy, shot through with briny capers, sweet minced red onion, and spicy Dijon mustard. The genius move is in the use of pickle juice, the same ingredient that can elevate tuna salad to greatness. It's a good recipe for the repertoire. I'll be ready once the weather breaks.
Tyler Florence's Ultimate Potato Salad
- serves 8 as a side -
Adapted from Tyler's Ultimate
Ingredients
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
2 large eggs
1/2 bunch sliced scallions, white and green parts
2 tablespoons drained capers
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup finely chopped dill pickles with 1/4 cup juice, about 2 pickles
1/2 small red onion, minced
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Procedure
1. Fill a pot with cold water, a generous amount of salt, the unpeeled potatoes and the eggs. Bring to a simmer and cook the eggs for 12 minutes, then remove and continue cooking the potatoes until a paring knife pierces them easily to the center.
2. Reserve some capers and scallion greens for garnish. Meanwhile, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, capers, onion, pickle, pickle juice, scallions, parsley, and lemon juice in a serving bowl. Stir well to combine. Season with salt and pepper, but remember the capers and pickle juice are already salty.
3. Peel the egg and grate it into the mixture. One the potatoes have cooled enough to handle, peel them with a paring knife and break up by hand into the bowl, stirring occasionally. Once all the potatoes are added, toss to combine with the dressing, scatter reserved capers and parsley, and drizzle with a little olive oil.
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15 Comments:
Yes, I've done the pickle juice thing too. It works great. It's kind of like that secret ingredient that people ask you about.
I'm not sure this is the "ultimate" though. I'd probably use more eggs, add corn, and probably some kind of ham.
wunami at 10:58PM on 06/12/08
The photo makes this recipe look unappetizing. Too much mayo. Makes it look fattening. I hate capers.
paris221966 at 2:05AM on 06/13/08
I have to agree with wunami as regards more eggs. Definitely add several more. Also paris22 makes a good point with the poor photo qualilty.
Boscompb at 6:24PM on 06/13/08
I have to say I was very skeptical. I am very picky about my potato salad but I had to make it once I bought the cookbook and all I can say is he wasn't kidding. It is the best I have ever made. You should make it just once exactly as the recipe states and then see what you think. I am not a fan of capers but they just kind of disappear into the salad and leave the flavor and I usually would add more eggs but this just doesn't need it.
pattymelt at 8:34PM on 06/16/08
Yummy potato salad! Oh, it's allllll about the pickle juice, friends. I however, dislike dill pickles for this purpose and shun them in favor of chopped bread and butter slices, the onions that got pickled with 'em, and that tangy pickle juice.
Also, WAY more egg! Four eggs, please! I need the eggy richness because I only had lo-fat mayo.
I'll definitely be stocking capers in house to add them next time.
missbhavens at 5:06PM on 06/17/08
Looks really, really good.... Agree about the photo though. Looks like a bowl of porridge.
suburbangourmet at 9:39AM on 06/18/08
Tyler Florence can do no wrong in my eyes; he is a great chef. I thought he gave us a great variation on an old classic.
babynino at 11:32AM on 06/20/08
Tried this tonight on a whim as I am not a potato salad lover and it was really the best! I did double the eggs from 2 to 4 and I think it was perfect. The Yukon Golds made a big difference in my mind.
Greatfallsdeb at 9:49PM on 06/22/08
My favorite potato salad can be served hot, warm, or cold and because it has no mayo, is "Summer Safe". I use either yukons or any baby potato,scrubbed, not skinned. Boil until fork tender, drain and back in pot to remove any clinging water as steam. Saute red onion, multi-color peppers, garlic scapes [in season, or garlic otherwise],washed capers, and pittd calamatas in extra virgin olive oil. Add hot chicken stock to potatoes to moisten,then gently toss with contents of saute pan, add grey or kosher salt and some grinds of mixed pepper corns. Called French potato salad. Anyone for a 'throwdown'?
regards\ebroth
ebroth at 5:56AM on 06/24/08
In my opinion, potato salad isn't potato salad without a lot of eggs. But that's my personal taste and I won't force that on anyone else. I agree with the pickle juice though, I've done that for years and people have always asked me my secret, which I willingly shared. I'm just glad to see he didn't ruin another perfectly good dish by smothering it with some nasty cheese or heavy sauce. His potato salad is good, not great and certainly not ultimate, it's very heavy and way too much for summer for me. But as I've already stated, that's my opinion, others may feel differently.
roscoed at 10:14PM on 06/25/08
In my humble opinion, and I admit it's humble, no one can make potato salad like my Grandma. She wasn't a chef, she certainly never considered herself a restaurant cook, but she made potato salad, cheese cake (made with cottage cheese and a lot of nutmeg) fried chicken and God, her cabbage rolls, I've never had anything even close to them and her home made rolls. All recipes she brought from her home country, Hungary, at the time, and all fantastic. Of course this is what I grew up on, I thank my parents for letting her be a huge part of my life and letting her teach me to cook. I'll remember her, and her food, forever. And, she hardly ever used cheese, she taught us to love food as what it was, not disguised with some heavy sauce or nasty cheese.
roscoed at 10:23PM on 06/25/08
My grandma's secret for making great potato salad is a lot of eggs and just a dollop of cool whip in with the mayo...it makes it extra creamy and you don't taste it.
Hmpetersen at 3:20PM on 06/28/08
I love Tyler Florence, and I love potato salad.
This recipe is fantastic. I love it. Taste as you go. If you don't love capers, use less. One time I used 1/8 cup sliced dill pickles and 1/8 cup sliced sweet bread&butter pickles, because that's all I had in the house. I added a bit more lemon to balance the sweetness. A thing of beauty.
I am a vegetarian, but I do allow the occasional egg. I have scores of potato salad recipes, all great.
Most popular: Paper thin sheets of unskinned red potatoes, paper thin sheets of red onions, string beans, kalamata olives, olive oil & balsamic,
lime zest, kosher salt and pepper. Serve with slices of lime and red flame grapes as garnish.
gioconda at 3:30AM on 07/11/08
Sounds delicious. I will try it tomorrow.
kimberly joe at 7:09PM on 07/21/08
This recipe is really close to mine. I use sour cream rather than mayonaise and add fresh chopped dill, chopped celery, a splash of white wine vinegar and more eggs. It is real light and nothing like the photo. Not wet at all. When wanting this to be more filling as a main course, I have added large chunks of salami and ham. It's great.
traceyb123 at 2:44PM on 07/27/08