Try this I LOVE your potato salad recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 166.6608 g
- Cholesterol 1271.52 mg
- Fat 132.4246 g
- Fiber 17.7800004482269 g
- Protein 93.1362 g
- Saturated Fat 44.16266 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (2024g)
- Sodium 2621.7 mg
- Sugar 148.880799551773 g
- Trans Fat 13.92518 g
- Calories 2210 calories
Step-by-step
- Add bacon, oil and spring onion (keep a little for garnish) to bowl. I like to slice my spring onion as I like how it looks in the dish, but you could chop this on speed 4 for a few seconds if you prefer
- Cook 100c, reverse speed 1 for 3 minutes. Transfer this to your salad serving dish and set aside. No need to wash the bowl
- Add 500g water to the bowl. Put diced potatoes in the Varoma dish (no tray) and steam for 15 minutes, varoma temp, speed 2
- Insert basket into bowl, add the 6 eggs and replace lid and varoma with potatoes in. Cook for a further 14 minutes, varoma temp, speed 2. Check potatoes are cooked. They should be not too cooked that they fall apart, but not too firm either. A knife should pass through them easily but not mash them. Leave potatoes in the varoma and set aside with the lid underneath to catch any drips and cool down while you prepare the rest of the salad
- Remove basket with your spatula. Put eggs into a sink or bowl of cold water to cool down as you peel them. Quarter and slice eggs. Empty steaming water from bowl and dry.
- Add dressing ingredients and mix on speed 3 for 5 seconds. Pour potatoes into your salad bowl (on top of bacon & onion mixture). Add eggs and shaved parmesan (keep a little for garnish) on top. Pour dressing from bowl over the salad and mix dressing through until combined.
- Top with some spare spring onion or fresh chives and some of the shaved parmesan. Refridgerate until cool and serve
Why does the dressing break down when poured over cold potatoes, yet cling harmoniously to warm ones? Starch molecules in freshly steamed red-skinned potatoes act like a sponge when heat is present, eagerly absorbing the lipophilic compounds found in olive oil and rendered bacon fat. Without this thermal bridge, oil simply pools at the base of the bowl.
Chemical Interplay and Thermal Mechanics
Balsamic vinegar provides acetic acid, which cuts through the density of the 132 grams of total fat present in the dish while simultaneously brightening the earthy minerality of the red potatoes. Meanwhile, wholegrain mustard functions as an emulsifier due to the mucilage in its seed coats, binding the aqueous vinegar and oily components into a cohesive coating rather than letting them separate into distinct phases. Parmesan contributes free glutamate, enhancing the savory qualities delivered by the salt-cured bacon.
Success hinges entirely on the steaming phase. When utilizing a Varoma attachment at Varoma temperature for 15 minutes followed by an additional 14 minutes with the internal steam basket inserted, the potatoes must reach a specific structural threshold: a knife should pierce the flesh without meeting hard resistance, yet the cubes must retain sharp edges rather than crumbling into mash.
- If potatoes become waterlogged from excessive steaming condensation, let them sit uncovered in a dry environment for 5 minutes to release residual moisture.
- Should the dressing taste overly sharp, whisk in an extra 5 grams of olive oil to buffer the acidity of the balsamic vinegar.
- Peel hard-boiled eggs immediately after a cold-water bath to prevent the delicate albumin from tearing against the inner shell membrane.
