This salad will always remind me of howling coyotes on a full moon at Potrero Nuevo Farm. I prepared part of this dish the night before our pig roast and the farm kitchen, which is open on one side to the fields, became a sounding box for coyote pups partying it up under the full harvest moon.
Smoked Potato Salad , Jay Jackson photography
If you’ve never had a smoked potato, then you’ll be nicely surprised at how they elevate this simple picnic side dish to a whole new level.
I smoked these in the wood under our pig the day of our event but I’ve also made them in smokers before. You can do this in an oven too with a packet of mequite chips too or a regular charcoal BBQ.
Potrero Nuevo Farm potatoes
Tarragon flowers, tarragon, parsley and hard cooked egg garnish the top along with red spring onions and a mustard vinaigrette.
And look at these gorgeous red spring onions from Potrero Nuevo Farm! Wow!
Red spring oinons!
More Pig Roast Sides:
Dragon Lingerie Succotash & Hot Bacon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 2 cups mesquite wood chips
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 pounds small potatoes
- 1/2 bunch tarragon, leafed and flowers reserved if possible
- 2 thinly sliced red spring onions
- 1/2 bunch chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 3-4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon toasted yellow mustard seed
- 2 teaspoon grain dijon mustard
- 2 hardcooked eggs, yolks and whites chopped separately
Soak wood chips in water 1 hour
In a smoker or a BBQ, remove the grill rack and prepare a fire for indirect grilling heating one side and leaving the other with no heat. Maintain temperature at 350-400°F. Use a small disposable aluminum foil pan for the wood chips and poke holes all over it with the tip of a knife. Place the pan directly on the heated heated side of grill with 1 cup wood chips. Place grill rack back on.
Toss potatoes with a little olive oil to coat and season with salt. Arrange potatoes in a single layer in a different disposable foil pan. Place pan over unheated side; close lid. Cook 30 minutes at 350-400°F or until fork tender. Add remaining cup of wood chips after the first burns through (around 20 minutes).
Make the mustard vinaigrette by mixing the mustard and vinegar together and drizzling in the remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. When potatoes are cooked toss them with vinaigrette. Sprinkle herbs and chopped egg over top. Taste and season.
