Sunday, April 15, 2018

Potato and egg salad with carrots and spices

Potato salad with eggs because I had leftover eggs from Easter, but honestly, I could have easily made this any other day, because we are egg lovers in this household. We eat them regularly and without restraint; fried, poached, soft-boiled, and hard-boiled when intended for a salad like this one.




We are also salad lovers and I frequently have them as my main meal of the day. I don’t, however, use mayonnaise often in my dishes, but there are rare occasions like this one that call for it and I won’t say no.




Boiled potatoes, of the floury kind, to create that somewhat fluffy exterior that will catch all the spices, olive oil and mayo. Hard boiled eggs. Grated carrot, for its color and sweetness. Spring onions for their gentle heat and bright taste. Flat leaf parsley, always, I never knew the curly one even existed before I moved to the Netherlands and frankly I don’t know why and how people eat it. Spices, because where would cooking be without them, and also because if you know anything about me as a cook and baker, spices are a must. Extra virgin olive oil for richness, some red wine vinegar for acidity.




Sweet paprika, dried mint, cardamom, ginger, cumin all present but not overwhelming, making this otherwise simple salad particularly scrumptious. A filling salad that’s not heavy, one that can easily be had as a main meal or served alongside other dishes.









Potato and egg salad with carrots and spices

Grinding your own spices (in this case the cumin and cardamom) right before using them, makes your dishes more aromatic and flavorful.
Dried mint is used a lot in Greek cooking, especially in keftedakia. Hopefully you can find Greek dried mint because it’s the best!




Yield: 2 as a main meal or 6 as salad

Ingredients
3 potatoes, peeled, boiled and cubed (weight after boiling 400 g)
1 large carrot, grated on a box grater (150 g)
8 hard-boiled eggs (medium-sized), chopped
6-7 spring onions, sliced thinly
Large handful of fresh parsley (leaves and stalks), finely chopped
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp dried mint, finely crumbled between your fingers
¼ tsp sweet paprika (not smoked)
¼ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp ginger powder
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper (about 20 turns of the pepper mill)
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp red-wine vinegar
85 g mayonnaise (about 3 heaped Tbsp)


Preparation
In a large mixing bowl, add the cubed potatoes, grated carrots, chopped eggs, sliced spring onion, chopped parsley, all the spices, and season with salt and black pepper. Toss to combine and then add the olive oil, vinegar and mayonnaise and mix well so all the ingredients are well coated. Give it a taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

Transfer to a salad bowl or individual plates, serve and enjoy.

It keeps in the fridge well for a couple of days, covered with plastic wrap.




2 comments:

  1. My mouth is watering as I read this in the Peloponnese. . .I made deviled eggs after Easter but plan to try your recipe soon!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Jackie and Joel! Hope you enjoy it! :)

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