Maionese de Batata

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 4-liter pot
• •Colander
• •Rimmed tray for cooling the vegetables
• •Immersion blender with tall jar, or regular blender

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut evenly

   Peel the potatoes and carrots. Cut the potatoes into 3/4-inch cubes and the carrots into 1/2-inch cubes. Keep the carrot pieces smaller because carrots take longer to soften. Even pieces cook together, which means you don't end up with hard centers and mashed corners in the same bowl.

2. 2

   Simmer gently

   Put the potatoes and carrots in a heavy pot, cover with cold water by 1 inch, and add the tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil, then lower to a steady simmer, not a violent boil. Cook until a knife slides into a potato cube and the cube slips off with a little resistance, about 8 to 12 minutes. Starting cold lets the vegetables heat evenly; boiling hard knocks the corners off and turns your salad cloudy before it even reaches the bowl.

   Don't cook by the clock alone. Potatoes lie about time depending on age, size, and mood. Test a cube.
3. 3

   Drain and dry

   Add the thawed peas to the pot for the last 30 seconds, just enough to brighten them and take off the chill. Drain everything well in a colander, then spread the vegetables on a tray for 10 minutes. They should look matte at the edges, not wet. Dry vegetables hold mayo; wet vegetables slide around in a sad white puddle.

4. 4

   Soften the onion

   While the vegetables cool, put the chopped onion in the serving bowl with 2 tablespoons vinegar or lime juice and a pinch of salt. Stir and let it sit for 10 minutes, until the onion looks glossy and smells less sharp. The acid murcha the onion a little, taking down the raw bite so it seasons the salad instead of shouting over it.

5. 5

   Make the mayo

   In a tall jar, combine the cold milk, mustard, lime juice or vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add 1 cup of oil. Set an immersion blender flat on the bottom and blend without lifting for 10 to 15 seconds, until thick white mayo forms under the blade. Then lift slowly while blending. If it's still loose, add more oil 1 tablespoon at a time until it gets thick and spoonable. Lift too soon and the milk and oil don't bind. I've made that soup. Anota aí: patience for ten seconds.

   Using a regular blender? Blend the milk, mustard, acid, and salt first, then pour in the oil in a thin stream with the machine running until it thickens.
6. 6

   Season warm

   Add the warm, dry potatoes, carrots, and peas to the onion bowl. Fold gently so the vegetables touch the acid and onion, then let them sit for 5 minutes. Warm potatoes drink seasoning better than cold ones. Hot potatoes break; cold potatoes shrug. Warm is the little window where the salad learns flavor.

7. 7

   Fold creamy

   Add 3/4 cup of the homemade mayo, the cheiro-verde, olives if using, and a little black pepper. Fold from the bottom with a big spoon until every cube is coated but still visible. Add more mayo only if the salad looks dry. You want creamy potato salad, not mashed potatoes wearing a white coat.

8. 8

   Chill and serve

   Taste and adjust salt or lime. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving. The cold firms the mayo and gives the onion time to behave. For churrasco or outdoor dining, keep the bowl cold and bring it out close to eating time. Sun on mayo salad is not confidence, it's trouble.

Chef Tips

• •Use yellow or all-purpose potatoes that hold their shape. Very floury baking potatoes fall apart fast, and then you'll be trying to serve a bowl of glue with peas in it.
• •The honest Tuesday shortcut is jarred mayo, loosened with a squeeze of lime and a spoon of the onion vinegar. It saves time. It won't taste as fresh, and you lose control of the salt. The shortcut I won't hand you is seasoning powder.
• •If your salad turns watery, don't fix it with more mayo. The problem started earlier: wet vegetables, hot vegetables, or not enough draining. Next time, spread them on a tray and let the surface dry.
• •Every family has a version. Some add chopped boiled eggs, apple, corn, or raisins, and then everyone acts like a judge. Add what belongs at your table. Just keep the potato cooked right and the mayo real.
• •For a firmer salad, chill it longer and fold once before serving. Don't stir hard after chilling, or you'll break the potatoes you worked so carefully to keep whole.

Advance Preparation

• •The milk mayo can be made 1 day ahead and kept covered in the fridge.
• •The vegetables can be cooked up to 1 day ahead, cooled dry, and refrigerated separately. Fold with the mayo on the day you serve.
• •The finished salad is best after at least 1 hour of chilling and keeps for 2 days in the fridge.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 210g)