To fight the February blahs, The Globe is featuring a weeks' worth of a recipes for one of the most convenient, flavour-packed, endlessly delicious dishes ever. Here is the third instalment.
Share your own winning salad with us: Tweet or Instagram a picture with #friendswithsalad (don't forget to list ingredients!).
The Belle Jar
Bowled over
The Tower
Spuds Supreme
Most people have a favourite potato salad, a family recipe and here’s my mom’s. And yes, it’s the best. I recommend it with a crisp schnitzel just warm from the frying pan.
Serves 6
Night before: Peel and boil 5 medium potatoes and 3 large carrots, drain then cool in fridge. To assemble salad prepare 3 hard-boiled eggs. Cool and cube. Finely dice 1 small onion, one peeled small apple, the carrots and 3 pickles (Polski Ogorki are best). Set aside. Cube the potatoes – small — about 1 cm (don’t obsess). Toss potatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of salt. Add other ingredients plus ¾ cup mayo, 2 teaspoons (ballpark) mustard, 2 teaspoons white vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix well to combine. Let sit overnight. Adjust seasoning adding more mustard, vinegar or salt as needed to balance the flavour. – Sue Riedl
The Quick Pickle
This may be the simplest salad I make, and thus the one I make most often. Because in a pinch, a cucumber is usually the vegetable I have lying around. It’s also the salad I loved as a kid — it’s fresh, crisp and tasty — the secret lies in the balance of the sweet and tang of the dressing, not in how long it takes to make.
Serves 4 as a side
Peel the cucumber and slice thinly (I also like it finely diced, but not if I’m in a rush!). Whisk together 2 tablespoons white vinegar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons sugar and 1 tbsp vegetable oil plus 1 tbsp cold water. Toss and serve. If feeling adventurous add a dollop of sour cream or mayo to the dressing. – Sue Riedl