These potatoes are the star of your potato salad
Yes, there you are, standing in front of the potato section at the supermarket. Bintjes, Eigenheimers, Frieslanders or one of those bags of ready-peeled potatoes – which potato do you use for your potato salad?
You have floury potatoes and waxy potatoes. The difference? The name says it all: floury potatoes become deliciously crumbly when you cook them, especially if you give them a quick shake after cooking. Perfect for soaking up the maximum amount of gravy and for getting lovely crispy edges when you fry them, but they do fall apart quickly. Waxy potatoes, on the other hand, retain their shape nicely, so for a perfect potato salad those are the spuds to choose.
Large potatoes, ready in no time
Suitable potatoes include Nicola or Bevelander, which are available all year round. They are nice and large – my mother called them quick-peelers – so a few potatoes are enough for a large bowl of potato salad. To be on the safe side, add a small splash of vinegar to the cooking water; this helps the potatoes stay firmer. Other waxy potatoes that work well in your potato salad include Eersteling, Charlotte, Frieslander or Lady Valery. If you come across a potato variety you do not know, check the packaging: it usually uses symbols to indicate what you can expect.
Leave the skin on
Appearance matters too: your potato salad looks beautiful when you choose potatoes with red skin, such as Roseval potatoes or Bildtstars. If you see truffle potatoes in the shop, grab them: they are fantastic for a potato salad because they are brilliantly purple – even after cooking. Scrub them well and cut them into pieces before cooking; it is much easier that way. The culinary Opperdoezer Round is also suitable for a salad. They have deep dimples, which means they hold plenty of dressing.
Feeling lazy
Not in the mood for hassle, but craving potato salad? At the supermarket and sometimes at the greengrocer, you can also buy pre-peeled potatoes; sometimes they are even already cooked. Ready in no time! Not a great idea for your potato salad, though, because it becomes tastier when you pour the dressing over the lukewarm potatoes. In addition, parboiled potatoes are treated in such a way that they do not get crushed as easily in the bag. A shame, because that means the dressing cannot soak into the potatoes as well. If you really cannot bring yourself to do it, buy ready-made potato salad and perk it up with some capers or finely chopped chives – almost as good as homemade; we will not tell anyone.
