Ensalada Campera Andaluza

Ensalada campera Andaluza is the potato salad of hot days and outdoor tables: boiled potato, ripe tomato, green pepper, onion, hard-boiled egg, and tuna dressed with olive oil and vinegar. It stays loose and glossy, not bound in mayonnaise like ensaladilla rusa. That is what makes it this salad and not its neighbour.

The method that decides it is the potato. Boil it whole, in its skin, until a knife goes through without a fight, then peel and cut it while still warm. Dress the warm potato first, before the tomato and egg go in, so it drinks the vinegar and oil instead of wearing them on the outside. Rush this and the salad tastes flat. Give it that little time, and it tastes settled.

Use good ripe tomatoes, not hard red decorations. If you are far from Andalucía, a waxy potato like Yukon Gold or Charlotte will do, and jarred roasted red pepper can stand in for fresh if the market is poor, though the salad will be sweeter and softer for it. No hace falta haber pisado España. You need good oil, sharp vinegar, and patience enough to let it rest.

My Margin beside this one says only: dress the potatoes warm, chill the cook. Sensible advice for both of you. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.