Japanese Potato Salad

 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 russet potatoes (1.15 lb for six servings)
• ▢2 tsp kosher salt 
• ▢¼ cup frozen corn
• ▢1 large egg or 2 ( I like it eggy)
• ▢1 Persian cucumber (or ½ Japanese cucumber; 3 oz for six servings)
• ▢2 oz carrot (2 inches, 5 cm for six servings)
• 3 green onions, chopped
• ▢1 tsp kosher salt (divided; for the cucumber and carrot)
• ▢2 slices Black Forest ham (1.9 oz, 54 g for six servings)

For the Seasonings

• ▢1 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned) (or you can use half the amount of apple cider/Champagne/white wine vinegar instead)
• ▢freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
• ▢6 Tbsp Japanese mayonnaise (I recommend adding two-thirds first, then tasting and adding more, as desired)

To Prepare the Potatoes

• Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1½-inch (3.8 cm) pieces (I usually cut one russet potato into four pieces). They should be roughly the same size so that they’ll cook evenly.
• Put the potatoes in a medium pot and add cold water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch (2.5 cm). Add the salt for cooking the potatoes and start heating the pot over medium-high heat. To save energy and time, cover the lid, leaving it slightly ajar to avoid a boil over. Tip: Start cooking the potatoes in cold water to heat them up slowly so they cook through evenly.
• Once the water is boiling, remove the lid and reduce the heat to medium. Cook on a gentle boil until a skewer goes through a potato smoothly, about 15 minutes.
• Put the lid back on, leaving a gap on one side, and drain the water completely from the pot. Put the pot with the potatoes back onto the stove over medium heat to let any remaining water evaporate completely, shaking the pot constantly to avoid any sticking. When there is no liquid left in the pot, remove it from the heat.
• Mash the potatoes lightly, leaving some small chunks for texture. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl.
• While the potatoes are hot, add the rice vinegar and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside to cool.

To Prepare the Other Ingredients

• While you're cooking the potatoes, you can start preparing the other ingredients at the same time. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Boil the frozen corn for 5 minutes (or follow the package instructions.)
• Drain the corn in a fine-mesh sieve and set aside to cool. Using the same pot, start boiling an egg from cold water over medium heat. Once boiling, set a timer for 11-12 minutes and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Than chop the green onions.
• When the timer goes off, shock the egg in cold water until cool and remove the shell.
• Slice the egg and chop it into smaller pieces. Set aside to cool.
• Peel the cucumber (leave some skin on to create a striped pattern), and thinly slice it. If you're using a large cucumber, you may need to cut it in half or quarters lengthwise before slicing it.
• Cut the carrot in half or quarters lengthwise, and then cut them into super-thin slices. You may use a mandoline slicer to help you cut it thinly. Tip: If you feel your slices are very thick, salting in next step may not work. Alternatively, you can put them in a microwave-safe container and cover with water. Microwave for a few minutes, just until a skewer can pierce the carrot smoothly (don’t overcook them as they get mushy). Drain the water and let cool. If you use this method, skip the salting process in the next step.
• Sprinkle half of the salt (for the cucumber and carrot) over the cucumber slices, knead them with your hands, and let them stand until they release their moisture, about 5 minutes. You will see small beads of liquid form on the surface of the cucumber slices. Tip: Salt draws out moisture from the vegetables through the process of osmosis. You don't want the vegetables to release moisture and dilute the flavors of the potato salad.
• Sprinkle the other half of the salt over the carrot slices, knead them with your hands, and let them stand until they release their moisture, about 5-7 minutes.
• Put the cucumber and carrot slices in a sieve and quickly rinse under cold running water to get rid of the salt. Squeeze the cucumber and carrot slices to remove any moisture and set aside.
• Cut the ham into 1-inch (2.5 cm) thin strips and set aside.

• To Assemble

  • Add all the ingredients into the bowl of mashed potatoes and mix all together.
  • Add two-thirds of the Japanese mayonnaise and combine well.
  • Taste and see if you want to add more mayonnaise. I added the remaining one-third of the mayonnaise. Refrigerate the potato salad for 30-60 minutes before serving.

  To Store

  • You can keep the leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.