The Ultimate Potato for Potato Salad

"You'd be a fool to use another potato."
Potato and Brussels sprouts salad with green apple, bacon and dill

On the latest episode of Epicurious' 4 Levels series, Director of Stewarding and Purchasing Joe Pace shares his mayonnaise-free potato salad recipe that's served warm with Brussels sprouts, bacon, green apple and dill.

Chef Joe always uses fingerling potatoes for potato salad because they're dense, hold their shape and taste good. He cooks Brussels sprouts in the fat from triple-smoked slab bacon before roasting, makes a vinaigrette, uses egg yolks and whites, and pickles onions a week in advance to garnish the dish.

"Everything just works together like this harmonious orchestra of flavors, and I love the visual impact that all the different colors have," he concludes.

Watch the video for his demo and get the complete recipe below.

Recipe
Winter Harvest Potato Salad

Yields 4 servings

Potato and Brussels sprouts salad with green apple, bacon and dill
  • 1 pound fingerling potatoes
  • 1 pint Brussels sprouts
  • 6 ounces slab bacon
  • 2 Granny Smith apples
  • 1 ounce fresh dill
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons whole grain “pommerey” mustard
  • 1/4 cup Bragg apple cider vinegar
  • 1/8 cup cold water
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1 lemon
  • Pickled red onions
  • Sea salt and white pepper
  1. Cut bacon into lardons and cook to crisp, reserve fat. Set aside
  2. Trim Brussels sprouts, season and toss in bacon fat. Roast in preheated sauté pan in 400 F oven till browned. Set aside.
  3. Boil eggs for 8 minutes then drain and cover with ice water. Peel when cool and grate white and yellows separately on a box grater.
  4. Poach at 200 F – not boil - fingerling potatoes in salted water till soft when pierced with a paring knife. Approx. 15 min. set aside
  5. Peel and medium dice green apples, squeeze the juice of half a lemon on them. Set aside.
  6. Place 1 tablespoon mustard and 1/4 cup cider vinegar in a bowl and whisk in 1/8 cup cold water. Slowly whisk in 6-8 ounces canola oil and season. Set aside
  7. Pick dill sprigs.
  8. To assemble: Combine potatoes, Brussels sprouts, apples, dill and bacon in a mixing bowl and wet with half the vinaigrette. Toss gently.
  9. To plate: Mound up the potato salad in the middle of a serving dish. Garnish with grated egg yolks, whites and pickled onions. Spoon a little vinaigrette around each serving, and then serve.

Potato and Brussels sprouts salad

Pickled Onions

Prepare several days ahead.

Ingredients

  • 1 small red beet peeled and quartered
  • 2 red onions sliced paper-thin into 1/2 moons
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • 1 cup water

Directions

  1. Place beet quarters and onions into mason jar.
  2. Boil water and vinegar and pour over onions, allow to cool to room temp and then cap and refrigerate for several days.
  3. Twice a day invert and shake the mason jar to distribute pickling liquid.

Get our chef's mashed potato recipe, and study with Chef Joe in Culinary Arts at ICE's New York campus.