Ensalada de Papa Jalisciense

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large heavy pot for boiling potatoes
• •Small saucepan for carrots and peas
• •Large mixing bowl
• •Rubber spatula for folding
• •Deep clay serving bowl or blue-rimmed enamel bowl

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the potatoes

   Put the whole scrubbed potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water by two inches. Salt the water until it tastes seasoned. Bring to a gentle boil, then lower to a steady simmer and cook 22 to 30 minutes, depending on size, until a thin knife enters the center with light resistance. Do not dice them first. Whole potatoes stay firm and dry inside, which is what this salad needs.

2. 2

   Cook the vegetables

   While the potatoes cook, simmer the diced carrots in salted water for 4 to 5 minutes, until tender but not collapsing. Add the peas for the last 60 seconds, then drain and rinse briefly under cold water. The carrot should keep its little square shape. Mushy carrot makes the salad look tired before it reaches the table.

3. 3

   Cool and dice

   Drain the potatoes and let them sit until cool enough to handle. Peel them with your fingers or a small knife while they are still warm, then let them cool completely before dicing into 3/4-inch pieces. Warm potatoes melt the dressing. Cold potatoes hold their edges. That difference matters.

4. 4

   Make the dressing

   In a large bowl, whisk together the Mexican crema, mayonnaise, jalapeno brine, chopped chile jalapeno en escabeche, pickled carrot, onion, mustard, salt, and black pepper. Taste it before the potatoes go in. It should be creamy, sharp, and a little salty, because the potatoes will soften everything. If it tastes flat now, it will taste like nothing later.

   Use Mexican crema, not sour cream. Crema is looser, rounder, and less sour. Sour cream takes over the bowl.
5. 5

   Fold the salad

   Add the diced potatoes, carrots, peas, and chopped hard-boiled eggs to the bowl. Fold gently with a rubber spatula, lifting from the bottom so the potatoes stay intact. The dressing should coat everything without pooling. This is a salad, not mashed potatoes with mayonnaise. Así se hace y punto.

6. 6

   Chill before serving

   Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably 2. The potatoes need time to take in the vinegar from the jalapeno brine and the salt from the dressing. Taste again before serving and adjust with a spoonful more brine or a pinch of salt if needed.

7. 7

   Serve cold

   Serve cold or cool, never warm, in a deep clay or enamel bowl. Put it beside barbacoa, birria, tostadas, or a stack of corn tortillas wrapped in a servilleta. This is make-ahead fiesta food. It is supposed to wait for the family, not demand attention.

Chef Tips

• •Use waxy potatoes. Russets fall apart and turn the salad sandy. A firm white potato or Yukon Gold gives you clean cubes that survive the folding.
• •The chile is chile jalapeno en escabeche. The vinegar in the can is part of the seasoning. A fresh jalapeno will give heat but not the same western fiesta flavor.
• •Do not drown the potatoes in mayonnaise. The crema loosens the dressing and the mayonnaise gives it structure. The salad should cling to the spoon, not slide off it.
• •If the market has fresh peas in season, use them and cook them briefly. If not, frozen peas are honest. Canned peas are too soft. Preguntale a las senoras del mercado.

Advance Preparation

• •The salad can be made up to 24 hours ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Stir gently before serving and correct the salt.
• •The potatoes, carrots, peas, and eggs can be cooked one day ahead. Keep them refrigerated separately, then fold with the dressing the day you serve.
• •Do not freeze this salad. Potatoes and crema do not forgive that kind of laziness.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 205g)