Potato Salad With Parsley, Capers, And Olives
Adapted from Carlo Middione’s Insalata di Patate con le Capperi e Olive Neri, from The San Francisco Chronicle Cookbook.
Serves: 2 greedy people, or 4-6 normal people as a side dish
Prep time: approximately 1 hour
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and sliced into chunks (see note)
2-3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 scallion, white and light green parts, sliced into thin rings
1/2 cup lemon juice, Meyer Lemon if possible
Scant 1/3 cup olive oil
2 1/2 teaspoon capers, well rinsed if salted, patted dry, lightly chopped
4 ounces high-quality pitted olives, lightly chopped: Kalamata, Gaeta, Picholine.
approximately 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup of the boiling water from cooking the potatoes
salt and pepper to taste
Boil the potatoes in ample salty water until tender. Reserve 1/2 cup boiling starchy potato water.
Drain the potatoes. Once they are dry, tip them into a large salad or crockery bowl. Add the boiling water, then the remainder of the ingredients, stirring quickly but lightly.The potatoes will be soft, and the salad will be a bit mushy–that’s part of its charm. Allow to mellow for at least half an hour before eating. Salad is best eaten at room temperature, but it can be refrigerated and eaten cold. Gently reheat in low oven or microwave about one minute. I can’t think of a thing it doesn’t go with. Muesli? This potato salad probably doesn’t go with muesli. But why would you voluntarily eat muesli when you could eat this potato salad?
Note: Middione calls for white potatoes, but I’ve used Russets, Yukon Golds, Red potatoes, or even a mixture, as I did here, and all was well.