Potato Salad on the Cutting Edge

It’s summer and time to get out that trusty potato salad recipe. Or is it? With all the interesting potato salads around Los Angeles, it might be time to try something new, something exotic--anything but that tired, tame old bowl of potatoes and mayo that you can put together blindfolded.

Consider, for example, a potato salad from Yucatan, spicy with jalapenos and mashed--not those same old cubes. You can try this one at Chichen Itza, a food stall in the Mercado La Paloma in downtown Los Angeles.

In Yucatan, this salad is sometimes augmented with shredded cooked chicken and served on a bed of lettuce as a main dish, says Gilberto Cetina of Chichen Itza. Cetina is from Tizimini, a small town 120 miles east of Merida, the capital of the state of Yucatan. He says Yucatecans also make a sandwich with the salad, using white bread, lettuce and tomatoes.

Pink is not what you expect in potato salad, but pink is what you get in Andre Guerrero’s Russian potato salad. If the mixture stands overnight in the refrigerator, which Guerrero recommends for the best flavor, it becomes even pinker. The color comes from beets. “It looks very festive. It is a bright red, sort of a pinkish red. If you put parsley around it, the colors really vibrate,” says Guerrero, who is executive chef of Linq restaurant.

The recipe comes from the Philippines, where Guerrero was born. “Sometimes my mother would put apples in it,” he says, warning that the apples will turn brown if the salad stands overnight so they should go in at the last minute. Adding cooked chicken is another option.

In the Philippines, the salad is “usually a side dish at party buffets, just the way you would serve regular potato salad,” Guerrero says. Working from memory to recapture the flavor, he was pleased with the result. “It tastes just the way my mother’s did.”

Potato salad is immensely popular in Asia. Almost every Korean restaurant here includes potato salad in the panchan , the side dishes that come with Korean meals. Dong Il Jang cuts the potato into long fine strips and combines it with carrot. The Toad House adds Asian pear. To my taste, a standout was a mashed potato salad I tasted at Dae Sung Oak. Topped with finely cut red and green bell pepper and egg, it was creamy and slightly sweet.

The Japanese have their own versions. Toshi Tamba, chef of Gyu-kaku, a Korean barbecue restaurant from Japan that opened in July in West Los Angeles, makes an elaborate salad that contains carrots, Japanese cucumber, Black Forest ham and Fuji apples. He calls it ume’s Japanese potato salad in honor of his mother ( ume means mother). As you might guess, it’s her recipe.

Tamba wants to keep the salad authentic, so he insists on Kewpie brand mayonnaise from Tokyo. Yes, there’s a kewpie doll on the label, or rather the plastic bag in which the squeeze bottle is packed.

You don’t usually add a sauce to potato salad, but Tamba says his won’t taste right unless you spoon on tonkatsu sauce, specifically Bull-Dog brand. Apples, prunes, carrots, tomatoes, onions, garlic and ginger are involved in this fruity, spicy mixture. Like Kewpie, it comes from Tokyo. Both are stocked by most Japanese markets here. We picked them up at Enbun in Little Tokyo.

Helene An of Crustacean in Beverly Hills knows how to tailor Vietnamese dishes to American tastes. Working in reverse, she puts a Vietnamese spin on potato salad. If you’ve eaten the noodle soup pho , you’re familiar with the plateful of fresh herbs and chiles that comes on the side. An mixes similar herbs into her salad, which she makes with Yukon gold potatoes, leeks, carrots and roasted peanuts. Peanut sauce, spicy with serrano chile, takes the place of mayonnaise. The salad is not on Crustacean’s regular menu but appears from time to time as a summer special.

If the potato were removed from India, there would be a great gap in the cuisine, it’s that popular. Mostly, potatoes appear in curries, cooked with peas or cauliflower, fried in little cakes or stuffed into samosas. Potato salad as we know it has not become Indianized, at least not on the subcontinent.

However, Robin’s, a restaurant in Cambria, makes a terrific potato salad that is yellow with curry spices and includes cashews and cilantro. Inspired by Robin’s, we put together our own version, one with two personalities. At room temperature, it’s a potato salad, nice with sliced tomatoes and cucumbers on the side. For a vegetarian main dish, serve it hot, with a side dish of plain yogurt or raita to balance the rich flavor.

Indian Curried Potato Salad

Active Work Time: 25 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour* Vegetarian

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1 1/2 pounds baby red boiling potatoes

2 tablespoons oil

1/3 cup cashew pieces

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon minced ginger root

1 clove garlic, minced

4 teaspoons Madras curry powder

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons plain yogurt

1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

Wash the potatoes well. Do not peel them. Cut them in half if they’re small, into quarters if large.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the cashews and cook until browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the nuts from the skillet and set them aside.

In the remaining oil, cook the onion, ginger and garlic over medium-low heat until very tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the curry powder, turmeric and salt. Add the potatoes and toss with the seasonings. Add the water and yogurt, cover and cook over medium heat until the potatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. If the heat is too high and the potatoes dry out, add water, a tablespoon at a time. There should be no excess liquid remaining in the pan. Stir in the cashews, then the cilantro. Turn the salad out onto a platter or into a bowl. Serve at room temperature.

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4 to 6 servings. Each of 6 servings:

206 calories; 208 mg sodium; 1 mg cholesterol; 9 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 2.84 grams fiber.

Ume’s Japanese Potato Salad

Active Work Time: 30 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour

Japanese mayonnaise and tonkatsu sauce used in this recipe from Gyu-kaku can be found at Japanese markets.

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2 pounds large baking potatoes

1 small carrot

Salt, pepper

1/2 cucumber, Japanese cucumber preferred

1/2 onion

1/4 pound Black Forest ham

1/2 Fuji apple

1/3 cup Japanese mayonnaise, such as Kewpie brand

Mustard, optional, such as Dijon or Colman’s

Boston lettuce leaves, for garnish

Tonkatsu sauce, such as Bull-Dog brand

Peel the potatoes. Cut each into 4 pieces and rinse them. Cut the carrot in half lengthwise and then crosswise to make 4 pieces. Place the potatoes and carrot in a saucepan of cold water and bring to a boil. After 4 minutes, remove the carrot. Continue boiling the potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and return the potatoes to the pot. Cover and shake the pot over medium heat to let the moisture in the potato evaporate. Remove the potatoes from the heat and immediately mash them with salt and pepper to taste.

Slice the carrot into thin pieces, add to the potatoes and let them stand until room temperature. Meanwhile, peel and thinly slice the cucumber. If using a Japanese cucumber, do not peel it. Sprinkle the cucumber with some salt and mix it with your fingers. When the cucumber is soft, rinse it off, then drain it in a strainer and squeeze out as much water as possible. Slice the onion, then salt and drain in the same way.

Cut the ham into small pieces. Peel the apple and slice it into small pieces. When the potato mixture has become room temperature, mix in the mayonnaise, optional mustard to taste and salt and pepper to taste. Mix in the onion, cucumber, ham and apple.

Line each plate with a lettuce leaf and serve the potato salad on top. Pour on tonkatsu sauce to taste.

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6 to 8 servings. Each of 8 servings:

200 calories; 322 mg sodium; 20 mg cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 27 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 2.59 grams fiber.

Ensalada de Papa

Active Work Time: 15 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 45 minutes* Vegetarian

From Chichen Itza in the Mercado La Paloma.

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2 pounds baking potatoes

2 large carrots

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapenos

1/2 cup cooked or fresh peas

Cut the potatoes in quarters. Steam them along with the carrots until tender, about 30 minutes. Mash these together with a potato masher, adding a little salt and a lot of pepper, until smooth. The mixture will be finely mashed, but the carrots will show like flecks. Add the jalapenos and peas. The salad will be soft--no cubes of potato--and can be scooped into little mounds.

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6 to 8 servings. Each of 8 servings:

170 calories; 423 mg sodium; 4 mg cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 2.52 grams fiber.

Andre Guerrero’s Russian Potato Salad

Active Work Time: 30 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 15 minutes plus 3 hours chilling* Vegetarian

This salad develops better flavor if it stands overnight, but the peas and carrots will become colored by the beets so add them just before serving.

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2 pounds white boiling potatoes

1/2 pound beets

1 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup diced celery

1/2 cup minced red onion

1/4 cup sweet pickle relish

1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

Boil the potatoes, beets and carrots in separate pots until tender. Drain. Peel and dice the potatoes and beets. Place all the vegetables in a large bowl to cool.

Add the celery, onion, pickle relish and parsley and mix.

Combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, olive oil, mustard, salt and pepper. Add to the salad and mix gently with a rubber spatula. Refrigerate the salad for several hours and mix again. The salad tastes best if prepared the night before serving.

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10 servings. Each serving:

249 calories; 444 mg sodium; 6 mg cholesterol; 14 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 2.60 grams fiber.

Crustacean Potato Salad With Spicy Peanut Sauce

Active Work Time: 25 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour plus 3 hours standing* Vegetarian

PEANUT SAUCE

2 tablespoons peanut oil

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

2 tablespoons lime juice

3 large cloves garlic

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves

1 serrano chile (or to taste), quartered and seeded

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

Combine the peanut oil, sesame oil, vinegar, lime juice, garlic, mint, chile and salt in a blender. Blend until almost pureed. Add the peanut butter and continue blending until smooth. (This can be prepared several days ahead and refrigerated. Before using, bring to room temperature and whisk to blend.)

ASSEMBLY

1 carrot

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 leek, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced

1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 3/4-inch cubes)

Peanut Sauce

1 carrot, coarsely grated

1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts

2 tablespoons minced fresh basil

2 tablespoons minced chives

Peel the carrot, then remove long thin wide strips, using a swivel-bladed peeler. Roll each into a curl, and secure it with a toothpick. Place the curls in a bowl of ice water. Let them sit for several hours or overnight in the refrigerator to set the curl. Remove the toothpicks.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add the leek, cover and cook until tender, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool the leek to room temperature.

Steam the potatoes until tender, about 20 minutes. Immediately place the potatoes in a serving bowl. Add the peanut sauce, leek, grated carrot, peanuts, basil and chives. Mix well. Garnish with the carrot curls.

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4 to 6 servings. Each of 6 servings:

356 calories; 310 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 24 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams protein; 3.55 grams fiber.

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Spuds Central * Chichen Itza, Mercado La Paloma, 3655 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles (213) 741-1075.

* Crustacean, 9646 Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills (310) 205-8990.

* Dae Sung Oak, 2585 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles (213) 386-1600.

* Dong Il Jang, 3455 W. 8th Street, Los Angeles (213) 383-5757.

* Enbun Market, 124 Japanese Village Plaza, Little Tokyo (213) 680-3280.

* Gyu-kaku, 10925 W. Pico Blvd., West Los Angeles (310) 234-8641.

* Linq, 8338 W. Third Street, Los Angeles (323) 655-4555.

* Robin’s, 4095 Burton Drive, Cambria (805) 927-5007.

* Toad House, 4503 W. Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles (323) 460-7037.

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Plates and kitchen towels from Williams-Sonoma stores.