One recipe in particular stood out to me: 28 Cooks' Potato Salad with Chili-Cumin Vinaigrette. It was just what I was looking for: a no-mayo potato salad with a kick, and all I needed from the store were dried thai chiles and fresh cilantro. (Times are tough, man. Wallets are tight.)
Matt kindly offered to do the shopping. He called me from the store: "They don't have dried Thai chiles," he said, and proceeded to list the names of the dried chiles they did have, one of which was "japones." I quickly Googled the name and found that they're frequently used in Thai cooking, so I figured that the match would be close enough. Visually they're very close as well:
Dried Japones Chiles
[PHOTO]
Dried Thai Chiles
The level of heat in the final product was perfect, so the gamble paid off.
I made a few more substitutions. Instead of using whole cumin seeds, toasting them, and then grinding them, I simply used cumin powder. Also, instead of using a food processor (I don't have one!), I minced everything by hand, added the vinegar, and then drizzled in the olive oil while mixing with a whisk. The dried chiles were tough to mince - the skins were unyielding and the seeds flew everywhere - but using my trusty chef's knife, I was able to get the job done.
I substituted shallots for onion to add a little sweetness, and though I didn't realize it until just now when looking over the original recipe, apparently I forgot the red onion completely. I love myself some red onion so I might include it next time, but honestly? I didn't miss it.
I also decided to add in some hard boiled eggs. I had seen them listed as an ingredient in other potato salads and couldn't deny the craving. I've made hard boiled eggs before, but nonetheless decided to Google a quick how-to. The eHow directions below really did the trick, though I still found peeling them to be a little difficult even while running them under cold water.
One final note: the recipe calls for "seasoned rice vinegar," and since I assumed there wasn't a difference at the time, I used rice wine vinegar instead. Upon further investigation today, I've discovered that "seasoned rice vinegar" is in fact rice wine vinegar with sugar and salt added (see Cook's Thesaurus: Vinegars for a more detailed explanation). My salad tasted great with plain old rice wine vinegar, and since the recipe calls for salt and sugar to be added anyway, I doubt there would have been a drastic difference had I used the seasoned rice wine vinegar instead.
So here they are: instructions on how to make hard boiled eggs and the recipe for Potato Salad with Chile-Cumin Vinaigrette. I highly recommend you include this salad in your next BBQ. Your kitchen may smell like sulfur for the rest of the day, but it's worth it, my friend. It is so, so worth it.
HOW TO MAKE HARD BOILED EGGS (unmodified recipe)
(photo from our recipe garden)
Find a pot or saucepan that is big enough to hold the amount of eggs that you want hard-boiled. Depending on the size of your pot or saucepan, you can cook as little or as many eggs as you desire. Just make sure that you leave room for enough water to cover the eggs completely.
Place your eggs into the pot or saucepan. Use caution when doing this step. Eggshells are designed to be strong containers, but they don't stand up well to knocking or dropping. Gently setting the eggs by hand into your pot or saucepan is going to be your best bet.
Cover the eggs with at least one inch of cold water. Place a lid on the pot or saucepan.
Set your burner to a high heat. Allow the water to come to a rolling boil. This usually takes about 10 to 12 minutes.
Remove your pot or saucepan from the heat. Let the eggs sit in the hot water for an additional 10 to 12 minutes. Now run cool water over the eggs until they are cool enough to handle. After letting the cool water run onto the eggs, you should let them sit in it for a few minutes. This will allow the eggs to fully cool before you handle them.
Crack your eggs by rolling them on a hard surface. Then peel and enjoy!
POTATO SALAD WITH CHILE-CUMIN VINAIGRETTE (modified recipe)
(photo from 28 Cooks)
potatoes (fingerling, yellow, red)
salt
4 hardboiled eggs, chopped
2 green onions / scallions, sliced on a bias
1 tsp cumin powder
4 dried japones chiles, minced
1/2 c fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 jalapeno (some seeds removed), minced
1 tsp minced shallot
1 clove garlic, minced
6 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Cut the potatoes into 1/2" - 1" cubes, place into a large pot, and cover with 1" of cold water. Season the water with a fair amount of salt. Bring the water to a boil and cook for roughly 25 minutes. The potatoes are done when they are knife tender. Drain and allow the potatoes to cool in the colander.
In a small bowl, combine the chiles, cilantro, jalapeno, shallot, garlic, scallions, cumin, sugar, and rice wine vinegar. Slowly add olive oil while whisking until the dressing is emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Combine the cool potato and egg pieces in a large bowl and pour the vinaigrette over the top. Toss to coat. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
- M
I made a few more substitutions. Instead of using whole cumin seeds, toasting them, and then grinding them, I simply used cumin powder. Also, instead of using a food processor (I don't have one!), I minced everything by hand, added the vinegar, and then drizzled in the olive oil while mixing with a whisk. The dried chiles were tough to mince - the skins were unyielding and the seeds flew everywhere - but using my trusty chef's knife, I was able to get the job done.
I substituted shallots for onion to add a little sweetness, and though I didn't realize it until just now when looking over the original recipe, apparently I forgot the red onion completely. I love myself some red onion so I might include it next time, but honestly? I didn't miss it.
I also decided to add in some hard boiled eggs. I had seen them listed as an ingredient in other potato salads and couldn't deny the craving. I've made hard boiled eggs before, but nonetheless decided to Google a quick how-to. The eHow directions below really did the trick, though I still found peeling them to be a little difficult even while running them under cold water.
One final note: the recipe calls for "seasoned rice vinegar," and since I assumed there wasn't a difference at the time, I used rice wine vinegar instead. Upon further investigation today, I've discovered that "seasoned rice vinegar" is in fact rice wine vinegar with sugar and salt added (see Cook's Thesaurus: Vinegars for a more detailed explanation). My salad tasted great with plain old rice wine vinegar, and since the recipe calls for salt and sugar to be added anyway, I doubt there would have been a drastic difference had I used the seasoned rice wine vinegar instead.
So here they are: instructions on how to make hard boiled eggs and the recipe for Potato Salad with Chile-Cumin Vinaigrette. I highly recommend you include this salad in your next BBQ. Your kitchen may smell like sulfur for the rest of the day, but it's worth it, my friend. It is so, so worth it.
HOW TO MAKE HARD BOILED EGGS (unmodified recipe)
(photo from our recipe garden)
Find a pot or saucepan that is big enough to hold the amount of eggs that you want hard-boiled. Depending on the size of your pot or saucepan, you can cook as little or as many eggs as you desire. Just make sure that you leave room for enough water to cover the eggs completely.
Place your eggs into the pot or saucepan. Use caution when doing this step. Eggshells are designed to be strong containers, but they don't stand up well to knocking or dropping. Gently setting the eggs by hand into your pot or saucepan is going to be your best bet.
Cover the eggs with at least one inch of cold water. Place a lid on the pot or saucepan.
Set your burner to a high heat. Allow the water to come to a rolling boil. This usually takes about 10 to 12 minutes.
Remove your pot or saucepan from the heat. Let the eggs sit in the hot water for an additional 10 to 12 minutes. Now run cool water over the eggs until they are cool enough to handle. After letting the cool water run onto the eggs, you should let them sit in it for a few minutes. This will allow the eggs to fully cool before you handle them.
Crack your eggs by rolling them on a hard surface. Then peel and enjoy!
POTATO SALAD WITH CHILE-CUMIN VINAIGRETTE (modified recipe)
(photo from 28 Cooks)
potatoes (fingerling, yellow, red)
salt
4 hardboiled eggs, chopped
2 green onions / scallions, sliced on a bias
1 tsp cumin powder
4 dried japones chiles, minced
1/2 c fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 jalapeno (some seeds removed), minced
1 tsp minced shallot
1 clove garlic, minced
6 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Cut the potatoes into 1/2" - 1" cubes, place into a large pot, and cover with 1" of cold water. Season the water with a fair amount of salt. Bring the water to a boil and cook for roughly 25 minutes. The potatoes are done when they are knife tender. Drain and allow the potatoes to cool in the colander.
In a small bowl, combine the chiles, cilantro, jalapeno, shallot, garlic, scallions, cumin, sugar, and rice wine vinegar. Slowly add olive oil while whisking until the dressing is emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Combine the cool potato and egg pieces in a large bowl and pour the vinaigrette over the top. Toss to coat. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
- M
Morgan:
ReplyDeleteI'm a friend of Rachel Wilson's (and Matt's) and just received your blog link from RW. She thought I'd be interested in your content, writing style, and recipes -- by was she ever RIGHT! I've added your blog to my google reader and will stay in touch often.
Regarding this particular post -- I'll be giving this a try early next week when we host a BBQ with some of my husband's work colleagues. It sounds RIGHT up our alley -- shallots are one of my true loves, and rice vinegar are one of Joe's. And originally hailing from Idaho - I always love a new way to use potatoes. We'll be happy with this one. Thanks.
As for the Cook's Thesaurus -- amazing, isn't it?
Keep writing,
Holli (http://feedingthebigguy.blogspot.com)