While I’ve often asked myself, ‘Will this sandwich?’ I’ve rarely taken inspiration in the opposite direction. Why would I? Sandwiches are a perfect food. My favourite sandwich *of all time* is the bánh mì. Unimprovable, she has it all: rich meats, excitable pickles, full sprigs of herbs and tingly chilli. It’s a proper ping pong experience for the ‘buds. I’ve had hundreds and will never tire of them. Yet. I felt moved towards making a potato salad this week. The season for such things is upon us, and you’ll need recipes shortly for all your barbecue and picky dinner arrangements. You can guess how this story ends. When it comes to potato salads, I’ve lived through the ages. From my teenage introduction to cold cubes-in-mayo liberated from a supermarket chiller, to homemade Hellmans-clad concoctions gussied up with herbs and bacon, through the rejection of mayo in favour of olive oil glossy, acid-forward dressings. Now, the obsession is with smashing stuff and frying or roasting it until crisp. Yes, smashed potato salads are A Thing. It is, as they say, gloves off. Over the years, I’ve made curried potato salads with pickled red onions and crispy garlic chips; German-style salads with gherkins and salami; Japanese potato salads with carrots and Kewpie, and Scandi riffs heavy with dill, to name a few. There is a recipe in Live Fire for an Austrian potato salad, by the by, which I loved so much when I ate it at a restaurant in Vienna that I extracted the recipe from the chef with the help of a German-speaking friend. It’s made with beef stock, and there’s a starch-extracting technique that yields a feather-light, addictive result. I included it in the book as it’s great with barbecued meats.
Anyway. As I said, today’s recipe was inspired by the bánh mì. It has a creamy nuoc cham dressing (the secret, really, to the whole thing), an abundance of Thai basil, mint and coriander and cubes of quick pickled daikon for the most addictive pickly nuggety-cronch. The ideal wing person for this salad would be a well-seared steak, crusted over live fire to Maillard-heavy perfection. That said, seafood would also work, specifically whole fish, plump, pink prawns and flashed-over-fire squid. Indoors, it would slip easily into a buffet-style spread or a potluck (why am I not invited to more potlucks? I want to be a Potluck Person), and, actually, I’d be happy with a pile of this and a green salad. A noodle salad! Or some cold roast pork or chicken. In fact, I think it would insert itself happily into many spreads. Maybe take it to a potluck and let me know? Other sandwiches that would work well as potato salads:
More potato salad recipes:
Bánh Mì Inspired Potato Salad Dressing Pickles Make the pickles by combining the rice vinegar, water, sugar and salt and stirring until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Add the daikon, onion and cucumber and set aside for at least 2 hours if possible. Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and cook the potatoes until just tender, then drain and allow to steam dry. When you’re ready to assemble the salad, combine the potatoes, the dressing and most of the herbs, reserving a few herbs for garnish. Toss to combine. Transfer to a serving dish and top with the spring onions, remaining herbs and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
SUPERSIZE ME! This week, I get into gabagool and an excellent sandwich. Plus! A bonus sandwich-inspired potato salad recipe. Until next time, Flavour Fans x
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Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Flavour nugget #30: a sandwich-inspired potato salad
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