Kimchi potato salad (& regular too!)
So Bowl #2 and I have just come to accept that we’re the kind of people whose well-being depends a little pitifully on warm weather. I feel like that should have been obvious to two people from Hawaii and South Carolina, but with every Northeastern spring that’s come along we’re still baffled at how suddenly we’re real people again, wanting to do things and go places and see folks, hatched from gloomy, hibernatory sofa-dwellers who would never do a crazy thing like, say, leave the house. I think the thaw is even more pronounced this year, now that we have less than two months to go until our wedding and we’re getting into what feels like the best parts of planning — the (strangely fun) seating chart, music playlists, naming our tables, planning out the program. Evenings where we plan to go to bed at a reasonable hour launch suddenly into late nights because we can’t stop talking about what readings to do at the ceremony and when during dinner the toasts should be. It’s beginning to feel real, and I love it.
But back to the real point! Since the glorious weather lately has us outside and at the park more and more, I thought it was time for a recipe for the picnics and long weekends ahead. This is an easy-peasy recipe for potato salad (one of B2’s favorite things) that incorporates kimchi (one of his other favorite things!) Given that regular potato salad already has a bit of tang from vinegar and sweet pickle relish, I figured the tart bite from the kimchi would fit in perfectly, with enough gentle heat to be lively but not overpowering. And for a few more hints of Eastern flavor, there’s a touch of green onion, and a splash of rice vinegar in place of regular distilled white or apple cider. The result was even better than I imagined — a subtle infusion of some of my favorite Korean flavors, but just enough to celebrate, and not mask, the good old mayonnaise-y non-salad underneath. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
P.S. You can find a few behind-the-scenes shots for this post, plus some words about the blogging process, in a little interview I did with Bloglovin’!
I made both a kimchi version and a regular version for anyone feeling traditional -- see Notes below on how to adapt this recipe for a regular potato salad.
Ingredients
- 1 lb potatoes of your choice, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes (I used white here because they were on sale; red, russet, or fingerling would all work well)
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar (or other mild vinegar; apple cider would work well)
- 1/2 cup kimchi, finely diced
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish if desired
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise, or more depending on your preference
- 1-2 tsp honey (optional)
- 1 tsp of your favorite mustard
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- more salt, to taste
- 2 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and diced
- gochugaru for sprinkling on top (optional)
Instructions
- Place the potatoes in a pot with enough cold water to cover them by one inch. Bring to a boil, add 1 tablespoon salt, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until a paring knife slides through without resistance, about 5-6 minutes. Unlike for mashed potatoes, you’ll want to cook these to a little less than fork-tender.
- Drain the potatoes and transfer to a large bowl. Add the vinegar and toss gently to combine. Let stand until the potatoes are room temperature -- I transferred them to the fridge and chilled for about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the kimchi, onion, scallion, mayonnaise, honey, mustard, and black pepper. Add the eggs to the potatoes, then use a rubber spatula to fold in the dressing. If needed, add a few more tablespoons of mayonnaise to loosen the salad. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. Enjoy cold, garnished with extra scallions and gochugaru, if desired.
- Potato salad can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day.
Notes
For regular potato salad, omit kimchi and scallions, increase mustard to 1 1/2 tsp, and add 1/4 cup diced celery, 2 tbsp sweet pickle relish, and 1 tbsp minced fresh parsley.
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