Ensaladilla Rusa Andaluza

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large pot for whole potatoes
• •Small pot for eggs and carrots
• •Wide mixing bowl
• •Rubber spatula
• •Fine grater for finishing egg

Instructions

1. 1

   Boil whole potatoes

   Put the whole potatoes in a pot, cover with cold water by 3cm, and salt the water well. Bring to a steady simmer and cook until a small knife slides in with gentle resistance, about 25 to 35 minutes depending on size. Do not cube them first. Whole potatoes keep their flesh dry and firm, which is the difference between ensaladilla and cold mash.

2. 2

   Cook carrots and eggs

   In a second small pot, simmer the whole carrots until tender but not collapsing, about 15 to 20 minutes. Boil the eggs for 10 minutes, then cool them in cold water. Cook the peas for 2 minutes in boiling salted water, drain, and cool them quickly so they stay green.

3. 3

   Peel and cut

   Drain the potatoes and let them sit until you can handle them, but do not let them go cold. Peel them warm and cut into 1.5cm pieces. Cut the carrots the same size. Warm potato takes seasoning better than cold potato, so this is when you give the salad its backbone.

4. 4

   Season while warm

   Put the warm potato and carrot in a wide bowl. Add the salt, white pepper, sherry vinegar, and the reserved tuna oil or olive oil. Fold gently and let it stand for 10 minutes. Taste a piece of potato. It should already be good before the mayonnaise goes near it.

5. 5

   Fold the salad

   Flake the tuna into large pieces. Peel and chop 2 of the eggs, saving the last one for garnish. Add the tuna, chopped egg, peas, and olives if using. Fold in 200g of the mayonnaise first, gently, then add more only if the salad needs it. The dressing should bind the pieces, not flood the bowl.

   If your mayonnaise is very thick, loosen it with 1 teaspoon of water or a little reserved tuna oil. Do not add more vinegar just to loosen it, or the salad turns sharp.
6. 6

   Chill and finish

   Cover and chill for at least 1 hour, and up to overnight. Before serving, taste again for salt because the cold dulls it. Spoon onto a shallow plate, smooth the top lightly, and finish with the reserved egg grated or sliced over it, piquillo strips if using, and a thin gloss of the remaining mayonnaise.

Chef Tips

• •Use waxy potatoes, not floury baking potatoes. Waxy potatoes cut cleanly and hold their shape; floury ones collapse and drink too much dressing.
• •Homemade mayonnaise gives the cleanest dish. If raw egg worries you, use pasteurized egg or make the mayonnaise with a stick blender and a pasteurized whole egg. Nadie nace sabiendo, but food safety is not a guessing game.
• •Good tuna matters here because there is nowhere for it to hide. Tuna in olive oil is the right choice; tuna in water makes a flatter salad and needs a little extra olive oil to bring it back.
• •Do not add sweet corn, ham, apple, or a dozen jarred things and still call it this version. Those may be somebody's family salad, fine, but they pull it away from the Andalusian bar-counter ensaladilla.
• •Serve it cold, not icy. Ten minutes out of the fridge lets the potato loosen and the mayonnaise taste like itself again.

Advance Preparation

• •Boil the potatoes, carrots, eggs, and peas up to 1 day ahead, but season and dress the potatoes while they are still warm if you can.
• •The finished ensaladilla keeps well covered in the refrigerator for 24 hours. For picnics or potlucks, keep it cold and do not leave it out more than 2 hours.
• •If making it ahead, hold back 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise and fold it through just before serving to freshen the surface.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 300g)