Potato Salad
An excellent match for weekend brunches. An exquisite potato salad adds a sense of ceremony to life. Fragrant and glutinous mashed potatoes are mixed with the crispness of fresh vegetables and paired with rich salad dressing to start a beautiful time for a leisurely holiday.
Required raw materials and substitutes
Main ingredients
Potatoes: They are the main ingredient of potato salad, providing a soft and glutinous texture and a mellow taste, laying the foundation flavor for the whole.
Onions: Add a unique pungent fragrance and enrich the flavor levels of the dish.
Carrots: Bring a sweet taste and rich nutrition, while increasing the color and richness of texture.
Bacon: Incorporate a salty and fragrant meaty flavor into the salad and enhance the overall flavor.
Green peas: Add a refreshing taste and green color, making the salad more attractive in terms of taste and vision.
Corn kernels: Bring a sweet and crisp taste, making the salad's texture more diverse.
Eggs: Not only provide rich protein, the egg yolk can increase a rich and mellow feeling, and the egg white can make the texture richer.
Accessories
Clear water, hot water: Mainly used for operations such as steaming and boiling in the cooking process.
Seasonings
Salt: Used to adjust the saltiness of the dish and highlight the taste of each ingredient.
Yogurt: Adds a sweet and sour flavor, making the mashed potatoes lighter and refreshing in texture, and also increasing a certain degree of moisture.
Salad dressing: It is the key seasoning that gives potato salad a rich and mellow flavor, making the overall taste richer and the texture more delicate.
Black pepper: Brings a slight spicy taste, plays a role in enhancing fragrance and removing fishy smell, and enriches the taste sensation.
Oil: Used for frying bacon and onions to make them emit fragrance and help with cooking.
Substitutes
Potatoes: If there are no potatoes, yam can be used instead. However, the mucus of yam needs to be handled well, and the taste will be slightly different. Yam is relatively more slippery.
Onions: The white part of green onions can be used instead. Only the flavor will be relatively weaker and there is no feeling of the unique interweaving of pungency and sweetness of onions.
Carrots: Can be replaced with pumpkin. Pumpkin can bring a sweeter taste and golden color, but the texture will be softer. Attention needs to be paid to the cooking time and the impact on the overall texture.
Bacon: Can be replaced with ham or luncheon meat. However, the unique smoky flavor of bacon will be missing. The flavors of ham and luncheon meat each have their own characteristics, and the overall saltiness and flavor will change.
Green peas: If there are no green peas, peas can be used instead. The taste and texture are relatively similar, but peas may be a little sweeter.
Corn kernels: Frozen sweet corn kernels can be used to replace fresh corn kernels, which is convenient to use and basically does not affect the taste and texture; cooked barley can also be tried to replace it. Barley will bring a unique grain aroma, but the texture is relatively hard and needs to be processed in advance.
Eggs: Quail eggs can be used. Only they are small in size, and the dosage needs to be adjusted accordingly. The operation will be more cumbersome.
Yogurt: Can be replaced with an equal amount of cream or a mixture of an appropriate amount of lemon juice and white sugar. Cream will make the mashed potatoes more rich and mellow. The mixture of lemon juice and white sugar is more inclined to a fresh sweet and sour taste, which is different from the flavor of yogurt.
Salad dressing: Mayonnaise or homemade vinaigrette can be used instead. Mayonnaise has a richer and heavier texture, while vinaigrette is relatively refreshing and will bring different flavor characteristics to potato salad.
What variety of potatoes should be chosen
For making potato salad, large yellow-fleshed potatoes or white-skinned potatoes are the most suitable. Because of their high starch content, they are easy to be pressed into a delicate and smooth mashed state after steaming. Moreover, the large size is conducive to cutting into pieces. The processing is efficient and can save time and energy.
When purchasing, give priority to choosing fresh potatoes with intact skins without damage, a firm feel, and no sprouting or turning green. Try to pick potatoes of uniform size. Potatoes that have been stored for a long time are easy to dry out and difficult to cook thoroughly, which will damage the taste. Uniform potatoes can make the steaming time easier to control and the degree of doneness more consistent.
Is there a particular order for adding seasonings
The first step is to add seasonings: Add salad dressing and yogurt while the potatoes are still hot. At this time, the temperature of the potatoes can help the seasonings penetrate better and the taste will be more delicate. When stirring, use a mashing technique to ensure that the seasonings are evenly distributed.
The second step is to add main ingredients: Put in the fried bacon and onions. These oil-containing ingredients should be mixed in while they are still hot so that the mashed potatoes can absorb the fragrance. Then add the cooked carrots, corn and green peas. Finally, add the chopped egg white so that the taste and shape of various ingredients can be maintained.
Finally, season and decorate: Add black pepper to enhance the aroma. If the taste is not enough, add salt for seasoning appropriately. Sprinkle the egg yolk on the surface at the end. This can not only keep the color of the egg yolk bright but also make the finished product look more exquisite. If the egg yolk is directly mixed in, it is easy to break it into fine pieces during the stirring process, affecting the final appearance.
Why soak eggs in cold water
Soaking cooked eggs in cold water has three main purposes:
Preventing the yolk from turning green: Rapid cooling can prevent the yolk from continuing to be heated and avoid the phenomenon of the edge of the yolk turning green. This green color is formed due to a chemical reaction between the iron element and protein in the yolk caused by high temperature, which affects the appearance and taste.
Easier to peel: Soaking in cold water can make the eggshell and egg white contract rapidly, forming a gap between the eggshell and egg white. In this way, it will be easier to peel the shell without the egg white sticking to the eggshell and maintaining a complete shape.
Maintaining the taste: The sudden drop in temperature can make the protein quickly coagulate and solidify, maintaining the elasticity and taste of the egg white. If the temperature is not reduced in time, the residual heat will continue to heat the egg white, resulting in a dry and hard taste. It is recommended to soak in cold water for 2 to 3 minutes. If the time is too long, it will affect the taste instead.
INGREDIENTS
Main Ingredients
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·2 potatoes
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·50g onions
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·30g carrots
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·50g bacon
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·50g green peas
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·50g corn kernels
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·4 eggs
Accessories
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·300ml hot water
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·1000ml clear water
Seasonings
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·8g salt
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·100g yogurt
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·150g salad dressing
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·3g black pepper powder
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·15ml oil
Table of Contents
COOKING STEP
Step 1
Cut the onions into granular form, cut the carrots into granular form, and cut the bacon into granular form. Cut the potatoes into slices 1-2 centimeters thick and then soak them in clear water to prevent oxidation and discoloration. Place the processed ingredients aside for later use.
Step 2
Pour 300 ml of hot water into the pot, place a steamer rack and a steamer bowl. Put the potato slices on the steamer bowl, cover the pot, turn on high heat to boil the water and then turn to low heat. Steam through water until the potatoes are thoroughly cooked to make them have a soft and glutinous taste.
Step 3
Pour 500 ml of clear water into the pot, put in the eggs, and slowly cook them over low heat until they are cooked. Take them out and put them in cold water. Peel the eggs and take out the yolks for later use. Cut the egg whites into small pieces to complete the processing of the eggs.
Step 4
Pour another 500 ml of clear water into the pot. When the water is almost boiling on high heat, add green peas and carrots first, add 4 grams of salt, and then pour in corn kernels. Cook them until they are done and then take them out to ensure that the vegetables have a fresh and tender taste.
Step 5
Put 15 ml of oil into the pot and heat it over medium heat. Pour in the bacon granules and stir-fry. Then add the onion granules and stir-fry until the fragrance overflows. Then take it out and set it aside.
Step 6
Mash the steamed potatoes into mud. Add green peas, corn kernels, carrots, 100 grams of yogurt, 150 grams of salad dressing, the fried onions and bacon, and 3 grams of black pepper powder in turn. Stir evenly with a spoon or chopsticks to fully blend the flavors of various ingredients into the mashed potatoes.
Step 7
Add the chopped egg whites and mix well to enrich the taste of the mashed potatoes. After mixing evenly, plate it.
Step 8
Pour the mashed potatoes on the plate into a flat dish and press them into 1.5-centimeter-thick squares with a knife to make them present a regular shape.
Step 9
Cut the square mashed potatoes into small squares for easy eating.
Step 10
Put the reserved egg yolks on a fine-mesh sieve and mash them with a spoon to sieve them evenly on the surface of the mashed potatoes to complete the making of potato salad.
More recipes worth trying
Simple & Refreshing Cold Tofu Recipe
Spicy & Crispy·Fried Cucumbers Chinese Style
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What dishes go well with potato salad
As a cold dish with strong staple food characteristics, potato salad is most suitable to be paired with the following dishes:
Hot soups: Light soup products such as corn and sparerib soup, tomato and egg soup, and laver and egg drop soup can neutralize the greasiness of potato salad and help digestion.
Baked items: Meats such as roasted chicken wings, roasted spareribs, and roasted mackerel pike. Paired with the milky fragrance of potato salad, it makes the whole meal more layered. The contrast of texture and temperature can increase appetite.
Vegetables: Refreshing dishes such as cold cucumbers, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and stir-fried cabbage hearts can balance the heaviness of potato salad. It is recommended to choose vegetables with a crisp texture and light taste.
Seafood: Seafood such as steamed fish, garlic shrimp, and cold shredded kelp can add umami to the meal and supplement protein and minerals at the same time.
Beverages: Sour and sweet beverages such as lemonade, juice, and sour plum soup can relieve greasiness and refresh the mind, help digestion and whet the appetite, and make the whole meal more complete.
How to store potato salad
It is recommended that you put the prepared potato salad in a fresh-keeping box and directly store it in the refrigerator. Do not put it in the freezer. Commonly used glass fresh-keeping boxes or plastic lunch boxes at home are all fine. The lid should be tightly closed to avoid tainting the flavor.
The storage time should preferably not exceed 3 days. Because if it is too long, the potatoes will turn blackish and the taste will deteriorate.
There is mayonnaise and vegetables in potato salad, which are easy to deteriorate. If it is put in the freezer, the potatoes will become loose and ugly after thawing. So it is recommended that you only store it in the refrigerator and do not store it for too long.
FAQs:
You can also add a little warm milk, which can make the mashed potatoes become more soft and smooth. But be careful not to add too much liquid to avoid making the mashed potatoes too thin.
The finely crushed egg yolk powder has two functions: First, it can completely cover the surface of the mashed potatoes, so that each piece of mashed potatoes has the fragrance and color of egg yolk; Second, the tiny egg yolk particles melt in the mouth and will not affect the original soft and smooth texture of the mashed potatoes.
When making at home, you can use a common fine-mesh sieve or fine sieve in the kitchen. Put the cooked egg yolk on it and gently press and grind with the back of a soup spoon. When there are no such tools, use a dinner fork to crush the egg yolk into small pieces and then repeatedly crush it with the back of a spoon to achieve the same effect. During the crushing process, check if there are still larger particles. If found, continue to crush them.
There are three simple ways to judge whether potatoes are cooked: Poke the potatoes with chopsticks. If it can be easily poked through, it is cooked; The surface of the potatoes will be slightly cracked and look a bit soft; Pick up the potatoes and break them open. If the inside is uniformly yellow and soft without a hard core, it means it is fully cooked.
Tips when making shapes: Let the mashed potatoes cool slightly before shaping, so it is easier to take shape; You can brush a layer of egg liquid on the outside. Baking it will form a beautiful golden crust; If you want to maintain the shape for a long time, it is recommended to make the mashed potatoes a little drier so that they are not easily deformed.
REVIEWS
