I was killing time surfing the Food Network the other day, and came across Michael Symon making this incredible-looking warm potato salad with small Yukon gold potatoes boiled, then fried in duck fat, then tossed in mayonnaise which had been seasoned with minced garlic, Sriracha, paprika, and lime juice. It looked fantastic.
But…
I need to make a few wee, tiny adjustments, based on the contents of my larder.
I was fresh out of Yukon gold potatoes, but did have a nice bit of red-skinned new potatoes that should do the trick.
I wouldn’t need to add garlic to jarred mayonnaise, as I had a nice jar of home made Egg-less Mayonnaise which already had garlic added – basically an Aioli.
Then there was the Sriracha and lime juice.
Hmmm. No. I mean, it sounded lovely and all, but the vaguely Asian flavor profile did not appeal to me as an accompaniment to marinated and grilled steak.
Oh, I was fresh out of duck fat, too; but do try to keep a small jar of bacon fat in the fridge, which worked a treat.
Here’s what I did:
INGREDIENTS
Aioli:
•1 batch (1 cup) No-Egg Mayonnaise
or 1 cup mayonnaise and 1 garlic clove, minced
•2 tbsp Earl’s 5 Pepper Hot Sauce
•1 tbsp Cajun Power Spicy Garlic Pepper Sauce
•1 tsp paprika
Potatoes:
•1-1/2 lb small potatoes
•Seasoned salt
•Duck or bacon fat (or canola oil) for frying
•2 scallions, thinly sliced
Note: if your pantry doesn’t include Earl’s or Cajun Power sauces (tho’ it really should); feel free to substitute your favorite hot sauce and mebbe a bit of sweet Thai chili sauce.
However you come to having 1 cup of mayonnaise/aioli; stir in the hot sauce(s) and paprika, and set aside.
Wash the potatoes, but leave them whole, then into a pot and cover with cold water.
Season, quite liberally, with the seasoned salt (you could also use sea salt), then bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce the flame a bit and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, just until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain and cool.
Smush the potatoes with the heel of your hand until they are more-or-less flat, but still hold together. This can be kinda tricky; I found that some potatoes held together while flattening better than others, so I had some that were barely flattened at all and others that resembled potato patties. I ended up settling for nicely split potatoes that could accept all that tasty bacon fat.
About that fat. My jar of bacon fat was not enough, melted, to give me 1 or 2 inches depth in my skillet, so I made up the difference with canola oil.
Heat the fat to 350º, add your slightly smushed potatoes, in batches if necessary, for about 3 minutes per side, until they are golden brown.
Remove the potatoes from the fat with a slotted spoon and add to the spiced mayonnaise/aioli, then continue with the remaining potatoes.
When all the potatoes are done, add a tablespoon of the cooking fat (if you like, I didn’t think it needed it) to the bowl along with the sliced scallions and toss to combine.
Serve immediately.
Nice! And not too, too bad as leftovers.