Cook’s notes
What are baby potatoes?
Sometimes marketed as pearl potatoes, baby potatoes are just regular potatoes harvested before they have reached their full size. Just like full-sized potatoes, the texture can be waxy or flour-y depending on the variety. Baby potatoes can be cooked just like regular potatoes. But for a salad that calls for boiled baby potatoes, try and get waxy ones. Reserve flour-y varieties for recipes that call for frying.Should baby potatoes be peeled?
Peeling potatoes, small or large, is really a matter of personal preference. We’ve been told too often that potato skin is nutritious so it’s best to keep them on. But some people, myself included, cringe when the potatoes had not been properly cleaned before they hit the market. And I tell you, it isn’t fun brushing baby potatoes one by one to remove soil that had been pressed to the skin. That’s why the baby potatoes in this salad had been peeled. At the same time, let me also tell you that it isn’t fun peeling such small potatoes. They no larger than two inches in diameter, it’s not easy holding one with one hand and turning it around little by little while the other hand that holds the vegetable peeler scrape the surface of the little globe to remove the skin. What about removing the skin with a paring knife? Well, why not? But since using a paring knife cuts off a not-so-negligible amount of flesh underneath the skin, you’ll end up with really small baby potatoes. Infant-sized potatoes would be more like it. So, having enumerated the pros and cons, you decide whether to keep the potato skin off or not.A final tip
Remember to allow the salad to sit for a while after tossing everything together. The chicken, mushrooms and potatoes all need time to soak up the flavors of the garlic and the tang of the lemon juice.
Chicken, baby potatoes and fresh mushroom salad
Ingredients
- 16 baby pearl potatoes, peeled or unpeeled, your choice
- 8 large fresh button mushrooms
- cooked chicken meat from one to two chicken thighs
- juice of half a lemon
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic grated
- salt
- pepper
- fresh cilantro chopped (use parsley if cilantro is too strong for you)
Instructions
- Boil the pearl potatoes in salted water for about 10 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes and place in a bowl.
- Halve the mushroom caps, blanch in boiling water for about five minutes, and drain.
- Roughly chop the chicken meat.
- Add the chicken and mushrooms to the potatoes.
- Pour in the olive oil and lemon juice. Add lots of ground pepper.
- Taste. Sprinkle with salt, if needed.
- Add the chopped cilantro and garlic, and toss well.
- Let sit for at least an hour, tossing every few minutes, before serving.
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