Warm potato salad

Potatoes are a way of life here in Austria. Potato salad (Kartoffelsalat) is served in a vast majority of restaurants and cafes. Most recipes here involve peeled potatoes that are sliced while still warm and then soaked in a vinegar dressing. The salad is then cooled and generally served cold. This salad is a tradition accompaniment to schnitzel. I really like it, as I find it lighter than the Aussie-type potato salad with a creamy dressing.

That said, here is my recipe for a warm potato salad, which can be served as a side dish grilled meats or fish. This is a good dish for a BBQ or feeding a crowd, as you can make it is advance and store. We had this salad for dinner on Saturday night, accompanying baked chicken breast and a rocket and asparagus salad.

You can adapt this recipe as you like and depending on what you have in the pantry or fridge. In this recipe, I have used chorizo sausage, corn kernels, fresh parsley, roasted almonds and a dressing of natural yoghurt, mayonnaise and lemon juice. But you could used other types of nuts such as pine nuts, sliced cooked bacon or ham, finely chopped gherkins or capsicum or sliced eschallots.

I think it is better to make the salad the day before and let the dressing soak into the potatoes. I am also somewhat of a 'lazy' potato salad-maker. I do not peel my potatoes. I like the taste of the skin and the texture it gives the salad. But if you want to peel the potatoes, go right ahead.

What you'll need

400g potatoes. It is best to use waxy-type potatoes, such as Bintje, Dutch Cream, Kipfler.
1/2 cup roasted almonds. I used the skinless variety
1 cup corn kernels, drained
2 chorizo sausages, finely chopped

For the dressing
3/4 cup natural yoghurt. I used Greek yoghurt.
1/4 cup whole egg mayonnaise
Juice and zest of one lemon
1 teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)
1/2 cup flat-left parsley

Salt and pepper

What to do

Place the potatoes into a large saucepan. Ideally the potatoes should be the same size. If they are not, cut them to size. Fill the pot with cold water to cover the potatoes. Place on the heat and cook the potatoes until just cooked. Use a skewer or sharp knife to test the potatoes.

When cooked, remove from the heat, drain and set aside in a large bowl.

In a small frying pan, fry the sausage until cooked and crispy. Drain of some paper towel. Add to the potatoes, along with the corn kernels. Mix gently, so not the break up or mush the potatoes.

Make the dressing.

Mix the dressing ingredients in a bowl or jug. Season to taste. Pour over the potatoes and mix very carefully.
Place in the fridge to cool and serve later, or you can serve it immediately while still warm.

When serving, spoon the salad into a serving dish, sprinkling the nuts over the top along with a little more parsley if you like.