Warm Potato Salad

Poor potato salad. I think you all know what I mean.

Alas, no more. It is time to revolutionize the potato salad.

It is time to rescue it from horrid dressings, either too bland or too aggressive. It is time to use the potato as a creamy, firm, satisfying base for incredible flavor combinations.

It is time for a new potato salad.

Let's begin with the potatoes. Rinse a few pounds of waxy potatoes (like Yukon golds), then coat them in a wee bit of olive oil and coarse salt. (Use your hands! Rub!) Roast till cooked. (A knife will pierce them pretty easily.)

Of course, you could boil your potatoes. But boiled potatoes are fairly uninteresting, and you might as well get two meals out of this--eat your roasted potatoes for dinner one night, make potato salad the next.

Now, we are ready to make salad!

This salad starts out much like making hash browns--potatoes and greens are fried until crispy. In this case, we use brussels sprouts: the little shreds are cute, and brown more easily than standard cabbage.

The flavors are simultaneously bright, from the vinegar and mustard, and warm from the sprouts and cumin. The light dressing adds just enough punch without overpowering.

This would be good served with bratwurst, if you're into that kind of thing.

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Warm Potato Salad
serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side

10 small roasted potatoes
30 brussels sprouts
1T cumin seeds
1T butter
1T olive oil
1T apple cider vinegar
1t dijon mustard

1. Cut your potatoes into half inch cubes. Microwave them for 4-5 minutes, or until piping hot.
2. Slice your brussels sprouts crosswise, into quarter inch thick disks. It's ok if little pieces fall off.
3. Heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat in a large frying pan. Once the butter stops bubbling, add the cumin seeds. Cook for 30 seconds to a minute.
4. Add the potatoes. Stir gently, then do not stir for 1 minute. Then, stir (or toss!), and add the brussels sprouts. Stir/toss occasionally until the brussels sprouts are mostly bright green, with a few dark bits.
5. Meanwhile, mix up your dressing: vinegar + mustard.
6. Combine the potato/sprout mixture with the dressing, let cool ever so slightly, and serve, still warm.
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Let me know what you think by leaving a comment or emailing me at piquantprose [at] gmail [dot] com.

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