The Golden Age of Potato salad

Have you every participated in or been a casual observer of potato salad Twitter? It is a very real thing, and it is intense. On this episode, we fulfill the request of Brian Koppelman, creator of Showtime's Billions and active potato salad theorist. The podgang each bring their personal recipe to the table, we eat, we discuss, we yell. Also discussed: why Allison and Matt pronounce capicola as "gabagool" and why The Sopranos can go fuck themselves.

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Visit our special guest John Houser at his podcast page: Rouxde Cooking School (and subscribe/listen, goddamnit!). Follow him on Twitter @Rouxde, too! And most definitely try his signature potato salad at home. Why not try making all of our potato salads and eating along while you listen?. They were entirely excellent, and this entire episode was top to bottom was a fantastic idea. 


Matt Robicelli's Italian Potato Salad

4 large russet potatoes
3 artichoke hearts 
2 pepperocini 
6 sun-dried tomatoes 
6 slices pepperoni 
6 slices hot capicola
6 slices Genoa salami
6 slices provolone cheese
1 small red onion sliced
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 cup mayo
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup of hots

Directions 

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Peel potatoes, cut into 1" chunks, and add to the pot. Reduce heat to a low boil and cook until potatoes are just tender. Drain, then immediately toss in red wine vinegar. Allow to cool completely. 

Finely chop pepperoni, Genoa salami, hot capicola, provolone cheese, artichoke hearts, pepperocini, and sundried tomatoes. Mix the mayo with hots and olive oil. 

Toss the meat mixture, then add dressing and fold gently to combine. 


John Houser's Classic Potato Salad

•1 cup mayo
•1 cup sour cream
•1/4 cup whole grain Dijon mustard
•6 harboiled eggs- yellows separated from whites and whites courtly chopped
•zest of one lemon
•juice of 1/2 lemon
•1/2 tsp msg
•1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
•2 tsp Morton’s kosher salt 
•1 packages fresh dill (approx .75 ounces) stems and all finely chopped
•3 stalks of celery and all of the levels from the stalk- small dice (approx 1/4”) leaves finely chopped
•1 large onion-small dice (approx 1/4”)
•4 pounds cooked red potatoes- large dice (approx 3/4”)

1. Whisk mayo, sour cream and mustard until combined. 
2. Mash egg yolks in a bowl an d add a little of the mayo sauce. Whisk to a paste and then add to the mayo sauce. Whisk to combine. 
3. Add the rest of you ingredients and stir with a spatula until combined. 
4. Refrigerate over night or at least an hour to let the flavors meld. 
5. Salt to taste if needed. 

Allison's German Potato Salad

1/2 pound small gold potatoes
8 slices thick cut bacon
1 large onion, roughly chopped into large pieces
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons German mustard
1/4-1/2 cup grapeseed oil
Salt & pepper

Use kitchen scissors to snip bacon into 1" pieces. Place in a medium saucepan and add water to just barely cover. Bring to a hard boil, stirring occasionally, until all the water has evaporated. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook bacon, stirring occasionally, until brown and crisp. Strain the bacon grease into a spouted measuring cup, and place the bacon bits in a small bowl. 

Put onion and butter into a small saucepan over medium-low heat and cover. Poach onions in the melted butter for 10 minutes. Strain the butter into the measuring cup with the bacon fat, then mix the onions with the bacon. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the mustard and apple cider vinegar. Slowly stream in the reserved fats, whisking vigorously the entire time. Slowly stream in some grapeseed oil, again whisking hard, until the dressing looks like a loose mayonnaise. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cut potatoes in half, the slice into 1/2" half moons. Boil potatoes until just tender, then drain. Immediately toss in the dressing, then fold in bacon and onions. Serve warm or room temperature. 



Make sure you check out this week's episode of our sister podcast The City That Breeds, which is a "part 2" of sort that segues from potato salads to watching your parents die, which is totally a logical progression. 
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