“A very variable recipe – as is most of my cooking. Possible inclusions or replacements are diced apple or fennel or radish; walnuts or toasted pine kernels or almonds; conserved tuna or anchovies under oil; diced fresh white feta-type cheese. When she came to lunch, Olia brought a big bunch of pennyroyal with a cargo of tiny snails from her allotment, so I included some of the leaves in the salad instead of marjoram: both are members of the mint family with a warm, earthy fragrance that’s delicious with new potatoes (and just as good with snails).”
– Elisabeth Luard, food writer, London
Serves 4 as a starter, 2 as a main course
INGREDIENTS
1kg small, waxy new potatoes, scrubbed
Salt
The dressing:
1 tbsp mild Dijon mustard
1-2 tbsp white wine vinegar
4-5 tbsp olive oil
Freshly-milled black pepper
Sea-salt
To finish:
Baby tomatoes, halved
1-2 baby cucumbers, diced
2-3 hard-boiled eggs, roughly chopped
1 tbsp of capers or small black olives
A small bunch of spring onions, trimmed and chopped
Pennyroyal or marjoram leaves
Rocket, dandelion or other mustardy greens
Chilli flakes
METHOD
Cook the potatoes in plenty of well-salted boiling water for 15-20 minutes, until perfectly tender. Drain immediately, return the potatoes to the heat for a moment to dry them off.
Meanwhile, fork the dressing ingredients together in a roomy bowl: if you’re lucky, they’ll form an emulsion – if not, no matter. Toss the potatoes with the dressing, crushing them a little so the skins burst. Fold in the rest of the ingredients in the order listed. Taste. You’ll probably need more salt and oil. Dust with chilli flakes (seedless Turkish pul bibir or Aleppo pepper). Serve warm.
