Potato Salad with Eggs, Pickles, and White Cheddar Sous Vide
| According to the culinary eggheads, it’s unclear who first added mayonnaise to the modern potato salad. Whoever that brave soul was, I would personally like to thank them. Even though I have had dozens upon dozens of varieties of spud salads over the years flavored with assorted vinegars, citrus juices, unique oils and exotic spices my favorite and my childhood gold standard is a creamy, mayo rich, russet potato salad. |
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I like to make my own
mayonnaise and have been doing so for decades but it was only recently that the
sous vide technique offered me a way to create my own mayonnaise and not be
concerned about the possible ill effects that might arise from using raw eggs
improperly. I recently offered you dear readers the recipe for my sous vide
version of mayonnaise that perfectly seasoned our Pork Belly BLT.
It has been documented that bottled commercial mayonnaise became available in the early 1900s. Although it wasn't until the 1920s and 1930s, with the introduction of the more familiar iconic American mayonnaise companies that mayo-based salads became popular. And that was for a good reason, it’s the perfect creamy sauce that binds this delicious potluck classic. Whether you make your own or use your favorite commercial brand of mayo, you’re going to be the hit of party. |
| Cooking the actual potatoes sous vide is another key to this recipe. The precision cooking in the SV1 with vacuum packing the potatoes dry gives you the purest version of the potato. None of the flavor is leached out and diluted by spending their time bubbling about in stockpots of boiling water not to mention the potatoes hold their shape beautifully. |
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Now BSV (before sous vide)
after draining all the water away from the cooked potatoes I would let them
cool in a colander then immediately transfer them to a mixing bowl where I
would shower them with vinegar or in this case the delicious flavors of the
pickling brine that my pickles came packed in.
This extra measure gives the potatoes a wonderful tangy flavor but it
needs to be done while the potatoes are still hot for maximum flavor
potential. That was my original plan
after using the sous vide method for cooking potatoes but then it hit me, why
not add the pickling brine directly to the bag with the potatoes and actually
cook them in the brine? Well I’m here to tell you - its genius! As the potatoes cooked sealed in the bag they
start to absorb the brine giving them a wonderful tart flavor. I simply pour
the hot potatoes directly in the mixing bowl let them cool and continue with
the recipe.
This version of potato salad utilized the sous vide technique to make a completely safe mayonnaise as well as the perfect way to actually cook the potatoes and season them at the same time. The final tech touch is the ability to make your potato salad days in advance and vacuum seal the completed salad for perfect preservation as well as trouble free transportation. No more bowls of creamy delicious potato salads shellacking the inside of your car as the plastic wrap fails. No, this only way to cook and transport potato salad this season! |
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Ingredients:
• 2 pounds russet potatoes, washed and sliced into 1/2" rounds • 1/2 cup pickle juice, reserved from the pickles • 1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped • 1/2 cup celery, finely chopped • 1/2 cup pickles, sour, juice reserved, finely chopped • 3 large eggs, hard boiled, peeled and sliced thin • 1/4 cup scallions, finely chopped • 1 cup white cheddar cheese, sharp, grated • 1 tablespoons Dijon mustard • 3 tablespoons coarse grain mustard • Kosher salt • Black pepper • 1/2 - 3/4 cup whole egg mayonnaise, see recipe or your favorite brand |
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Directions: 1. Heat the VacMaster SV1 to 90C/194F 2. Using appropriately sized VacMaster bag(s) add the potatoes and the pickle juice in one thin even layer and using a VacMaster chamber machine vacuum seal the potatoes. 3. Gently place into the SV1 water bath and cook for 1.5 hours or up to 2 until the potatoes are extremely tender and easily crushed by your finger yet still holding their shape. 4. Carefully remove the hot potatoes from the bag and transfer to a large mixing bowl with any remaining liquid from the bag. 5. Using a rubber spatula or similar carefully toss the potatoes a few times to allow them to cool. 6. Let sit 10 minutes to absorb the liquid. 7. Add the prepared onion, celery, pickles, hard-boiled eggs, scallions, cheese, Dijon and coarse grain mustard and season carefully, to taste. 8. Top with 2/3 cup of mayonnaise and, with a large rubber spatula, gently fold everything together until well blended. 9. Taste the salad and add more salt, pepper, or mayonnaise as needed. |
