Meatless Monday: Potato Salad Gribiche

According to Wikipedia:
Sauce gribiche is a mayonnaise-style cold egg sauce in the French Cuisine, made by emulsifying hard-boiled egg yolks and mustard with a neutral oil like canola or grapeseed. The sauce is finished with chopped pickles, capers, parsley, chervil and tarragon. It also includes hard-boiled egg whites cut in a julienne.
Sauce gribiche may be served with boiled chicken, fish (hot or cold) or calf’s head.

Ok well this may be the proper definition of sauce gribiche but my version of this French classic is much lighter. I took our basic vinaigrette potato salad recipe and added chopped capers, cornichons, hard boiled eggs, parsley and chervil. A nod and a wink to this classic suits me just fine. The warm fingerling potatoes drink up the shalloty vinaigrette and the capers, cornichons and herbs add a tangy brightness to the earthy studs. The eggs offer a creamy surprise though you could easily omit them for a Vegan version. I served it at a dinner party last week to rave reviews.

 

Potato Salad Gribiche
serves 8 generously

3 pounds mini fingerling potatoes, cut in half
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 shallots, finely diced
8 tablespoons good quality extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cornichons, roughly chopped
4 tablespoons capers, roughly chopped
2 hard boiled eggs, roughly chopped
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
½ cup chopped chervil, roughly chopped

Wash and clean the potatoes. Cut them in half so that all pieces are approximately the same size and approximately 1-1/2 inches. Place in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring the water to a rolling boil and add 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Let boil until knife tender, approximately 8 minutes. Drain and place back in the pot, covering with a lid, so that the potatoes stay warm until they are dressed.

While the potatoes are boiling, whisk together the mustard, vinegar and shallots.  Add the olive oil in a slow steady stream, whisking continuously so that the vinaigrette emulsifies. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the vinaigrette over the drained hot potatoes using a spatula to gently turn the potatoes so that the vinaigrette coats them all. Let the dressed potatoes cool to room temperature. In the mean time chop the capers, cornichons and hard boiled eggs. Mix them into the potatoes in vinaigrette.

Reserving some of the herbs for topping the plated dish,  Generously sprinkle the potato salad with the chopped herbs, gently mixing so that every potato bite will have some herbs. Scoop the potatoes into a serving platter and top with the reserved herbs. Enjoy chilled or at room temperature.

xo,

LEH