Potato Salad with an Asian Flair

Copyright 2012 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

We are celebrating the birthday of our secretary this week and we decided to throw her a barbecue of sorts. For some reason, the parties in the office have developed a certain theme and this one is no exception. The choice for this party was American so I was actually in my element. I do know what it is that makes my American friends eat up a storm. Sadly, it is the exotic ones that seem to tickle their tastebuds. In the end, I had to settle for something that is both American with a bit of an Asian flavor to it.

I was tasked to prepare the actual barbecue which is kind of ironic or maybe unfortunate since I am having gout issues again. Argh! Anyway, I was thinking of something very American to go with it so I thought, aside from apple pie, the one thing that was never absent from any good barbecue is potato salad. Not having access to my cookbooks, I thought of the basic ingredients that I might need and pickles and carrots came to mind. When it came time to actually put it all together, it turned out that pickles and diced carrots are not really common ingredients. Well, I decided they were staying anyways for the added crunch. 

Copyright 2012 LtDan'sKitchens blog

My inspiration for the recipe is from Ina Garten. A few changes I made was to make sour cream from heavy cream and souring it with Calamondin juice. Lemon juice can also be used but I wanted a more local flavor to the dish. Stone ground mustard will be wonderful but I have no access to a gourmet shop so a regular Dijon mustard will have to do. In the end, I used powdered mustard instead. I bought regular potatoes but chose the smaller ones to avoid having to peel them. In any case, I have decided to keep the skin on for my potato salad for a more rustic flair. In the end, not bad for a potato salad made in the small kitchenette inside our office.

Potato Salad with an Asian Flair

2 1/2 lb small potatoes
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp lemon or calamondin juice
1/4 cup red onions, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1/2 cup pickles, diced
salt and pepper
1 tsp dill seeds, toasted and ground
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 tsp mustard powder

1. Place the potatoes in a pot with enough water. Bring to a boil over 
    medium high heat and cook until fork tender. Drain and allow to cool. 

2. In a small bowl, combine the heavy cream and calamondin juice and 
    stir. Allow to thicken. 

3. Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice into eighths and 
    transfer them to a large bowl. 

4. Add the carrots, red onions, pickles, mayonnaise and thickened cream. 
    Add the mustard powder and dill seeds and mix well. Season with salt and 
    pepper and check for flavor. 

5. Store in the fridge until ready to use. Stir one last time before serving.