Potato Salad with Caramelized Onions

Potato Salad with Caramelized Onions is a humble tribute to pissaladière, the tomato-less pizza from Southern France. Like pissaladière, this salad requires just a handful of Mediterranean ingredients, and variations are possible.

Thanks to its simplicity, this potato salad goes well with countless other dishes. It makes a great tapa: try serving it alongside gazpacho, grilled peppers, and a good sheep's milk cheese for an afternoon or evening feast. Or consider it a variation of the American potato salad with mayonnaise and bring it to a picnic or cookout. Alternatively, pair it with a green salad for a light lunch.

It is easy to make, and assembling this salad comes with one small catch: the potato chunks should not be broken. To ensure they aren't, all ingredients must be poured and sprinkled evenly over the potatoes. One final, careful stirring at the end with the help of large wooden spoons will mix all the elements nicely without sacrificing the spuds.

SERVES 4

Ingredients:

• 3 Russet or 6 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced into large chunks
• 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 5 Sicilian spiced olives, pitted and sliced
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 generous tbsp. Trader Joe's Aïoli Garlic Mustard Sauce or other mustard
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

1. Boil diced potatoes about 10-15 minutes or until tender. Let potatoes drain in a colander for 10 minutes.
2. Place potatoes in a large bowl. Sprinkle with rice vinegar. Add pepper. Do not stir.
3. Heat olive oil in a medium-sized heavy skillet. Add sliced onion and 3/4 tsp. salt. Cook over medium-low flame stirring often until onions are golden brown.
4. Pour onions and oil directly onto potatoes. Do not stir.
5. Sprinkle sliced olives onto potatoes.
6. Add mustard to potatoes by evenly distributing small, teaspoon-sized dollops across top of potato and onion mixture.
7. Now stir the ingredients gently with large wooden spoons, being careful not to break potatoes.
8. Grate Romano or Parmesan cheese on top of salad.
9. Let salad sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Serve at room temperature.

There are many possible variations of this salad. Here are a few:

• Niçoise variation: Add anchovy fillets, hard-boiled eggs, and substitute Niçoise olives for the Sicilian. Do not add the grated Romano or Parmesan.
• Garlic lover's version: Substitute one of the onions for 5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced.
• With capers: Add 3 tsp. capers in place of or in addition to the olives.

Wines to drink with this dish:

• With tapas, you could try a Catalan wine such as a Priorato.
• If you are making the Niçoise variation, pour a nice rosé from Provence.

Potatoes

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