Our family has a favourite traditional Slovenian potato salad recipe and this is a variation on it. The key features are lots of finely minced garlic and good olive oil, two rich flavours that need something sharp to cut through them. My nonna used homemade cider vinegar, and after making another batch of sauerkraut recently I wondered if it might make a worthy replacement. Happily it does — the sourness is deep and complex thanks to the natural lactic fermentation. It also adds another crunchy texture, which goes well with the thinly sliced red onion. While you’re playing with potato and cabbage you might like to try adding a cup of sauerkraut to the pot next time you boil chopped potatoes. The acidity keeps them firmer on the outside than usual even when they’re soft inside, it’s a really nice surprise and the flavour is great too.
Ingredients
| 500 g | Waxy potatoes, boiled and peeled (Main) |
| 1 | Red onion, peeled and thinly sliced |
| 1 tsp | Salt |
| 1 Tbsp | Vinegar |
| ½ cup | Hot water |
| 5 cloves | Garlic, finely minced |
| ½ cup | Parsley, finely chopped |
| ½ cup | Sauerkraut, use up to 3/4 cup (Main) |
| ½ tsp | Salt |
| ½ tsp | Ground black pepper |
| 2 Tbsp | Capers |
| 2 Tbsp | Olive oil, use a good quality |
Directions
- An easy way to peel recently boiled potatoes is to put them in a bowl of cold water so the skin shrinks and they are cool enough to handle. I use a small knife and pull the skin gently so it comes away cleanly, dipping the knife into the cold water regularly to clean off the starch.
- Place the red onion in a bowl and add salt, vinegar and hot water, stirring to mix. Leave for 5 minutes then drain the liquid off. liquid off.
- Slice potatoes thinly (approx 5mm) and add to a big bowl with remaining ingredients. Toss well then gently fold in red onions, they'll be a lovely bright pink after their soak in vinegar.
Making sauerkraut
Take a look at Aaron'show-to feature on making sauerkrautat home.
