Steirischer Erdäpfelsalat mit Kernöl

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large pot for boiling potatoes
• •Wide shallow serving bowl or platter
• •Small frying pan (20cm)
• •Sharp knife for thin, even slicing

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the potatoes

   Place the potatoes whole and unpeeled in a large pot of well-salted cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook until a knife slides through the center without resistance, about 20 to 25 minutes depending on size. The skin should just begin to split at the edges. Don't overcook them. A mushy potato can't hold a dressing, it just falls apart into paste.

   Use festkochende (waxy) potatoes only. In Austria, these are labeled clearly. Outside Austria, look for Kipfler, Charlotte, or any fingerling variety. Starchy potatoes like Russets will dissolve on you.
2. 2

   Prepare the warm dressing

   While the potatoes cook, heat the beef broth until it's properly hot, not just warm. Whisk in the cider vinegar, mustard, a good pinch of salt, a few grinds of black pepper, and a small pinch of sugar. The sugar isn't for sweetness. It rounds the sharpness of the vinegar so the dressing balances rather than bites. Set aside and keep warm.

   Gretel always said the dressing should taste too sharp on its own. The potatoes absorb the acid as they sit, and what tastes balanced in the bowl will taste flat on the plate. Trust the vinegar.
3. 3

   Slice and dress the potatoes

   Drain the potatoes and peel them while they're still hot. Use a kitchen towel to hold them if you need to, but work quickly. Slice them into rounds about half a centimeter thick. Lay the slices in a wide, shallow bowl and scatter the finely diced red onion over them. Pour the hot dressing over immediately. This is the moment that makes or breaks the salad. The hot broth hits the warm potato starch and gets absorbed into every slice. If you let the potatoes cool first, they seal up and the dressing just sits on the surface. You end up with dry potatoes swimming in liquid instead of silky potatoes that carry the flavor inside them.

   Don't stir. Tilt and turn the bowl gently to distribute the dressing, or use a soft spatula to fold once or twice. Stirring breaks the warm slices and you'll end up with potato mash.
4. 4

   Let the salad rest

   Cover the bowl loosely and let the dressed potatoes sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes, up to 30. The slices will absorb most of the liquid. When you come back, the surface should look moist but not swimming. If there's still a pool of broth at the bottom, give it another ten minutes. Taste and adjust the salt. The salad should be savory, slightly tangy, and round.

5. 5

   Fry the Speck

   Heat a tablespoon of neutral oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the Speck lardons and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat renders and the edges turn golden and crisp, about four to five minutes. Lift them out onto a paper towel with a slotted spoon. They should be just crisp enough to snap between your teeth.

6. 6

   Toast the pumpkin seeds

   In the same pan, wipe away the excess Speck fat and toast the pumpkin seeds over medium-low heat for two to three minutes, shaking the pan often. They'll start to pop and smell intensely nutty. Pull the pan off the heat the moment they darken slightly. They go from toasted to burnt in seconds and there's no coming back from that.

7. 7

   Assemble and finish

   Arrange the dressed potato slices on a serving platter or divide among individual plates. Tuck the Vogerlsalat in and around the potatoes, letting it sit on top rather than burying it underneath. Scatter the crispy Speck over everything. Now pour the Kürbiskernöl in a slow, deliberate drizzle over the entire salad. Watch the dark green oil pool and ribbon across the surface. Finish with the toasted pumpkin seeds. Serve at room temperature. Not cold, not hot. This is a dish that tastes best when it's had a moment to settle into itself. Mahlzeit!

   Never heat Kürbiskernöl. It's a finishing oil only. Heat destroys its flavor and turns it bitter. Pour it on at the table if you want the full aroma.

Chef Tips

• •Look for Steirisches Kürbiskernöl g.g.A. with the green and white certification seal. The real thing is thick, intensely nutty, and so dark green it looks black in the bottle. If your pumpkin seed oil is thin and pale, it's not Styrian oil and the salad won't taste right. Good Kernöl is not cheap, but a bottle lasts because you only ever use a few tablespoons at a time.
• •The broth must be hot when it hits the potatoes. I can't say this enough. Room-temperature broth on room-temperature potatoes gives you a wet, flavorless salad. Hot broth on warm, freshly sliced potatoes gives you the creamy, absorbed dressing that makes Austrian Erdäpfelsalat completely different from any other potato salad you've eaten.
• •If you can't find Vogerlsalat (lamb's lettuce, also called mâche), young baby spinach or watercress will do. But Vogerlsalat is traditional and its mild, slightly nutty flavor is the reason Styrians pair it with Kernöl. It's worth seeking out.
• •This salad is better after thirty minutes at room temperature than straight out of the pot. And it's still good the next day, though the Vogerlsalat should be added fresh. Dress the leftover potatoes with a small splash of vinegar and another drizzle of Kernöl to wake them up.

Advance Preparation

• •The potatoes can be boiled up to two hours ahead. Peel and slice them while warm, dress immediately with the hot broth mixture, then let them sit covered at room temperature. Add the fresh toppings just before serving.
• •Speck can be fried and pumpkin seeds toasted ahead of time. Store separately at room temperature. They'll stay crisp for several hours.
• •Do not add the Kürbiskernöl or Vogerlsalat until you're ready to serve. The oil loses its aroma as it sits and the greens will wilt under the warm potatoes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 300g)