Featured Recipe
Egg Pea Potato Salad
By Kate
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A rustic mix of new potatoes, sugar snap peas, and hard-boiled eggs tossed in a creamy cider vinegar dressing with smoky paprika sausage and fresh herbs. Crunch from fresh peas meets tender potatoes; eggs add richness. Quick poach for snap peas; using fingerling potatoes for texture. Cream base allows tang and mustard bite, balanced by sweet cherry tomatoes. Simple, flavorful, adaptable with chorizo or smoked sausage swap, and thyme in place of estragon. Cool ingredients properly to avoid white sauce breaking. Bright colors and varied textures. Easy plating with halved eggs on top.
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Prep:
25 min
Cook:
35 min
Total:
60 min
Serves:
4 servings
salad
vegetable dish
French-inspired
Introduction
Not your average egg salad. Potatoes add heft; sugar snap peas snap loud under teeth. Cream with cider vinegar makes bite but stays soft, no curdling if you watch your acid levels. Smoky sausage spices up textures — swap for kielbasa or omit for veggie version. Fresh thyme here pulls all the layers together, lending a rustic feel. Don’t blitz the potatoes — you want chunky, not mashed. Eggs halved to keep yolk intact, a vibrant pop on plate. Use fingerling or baby potatoes for thin skin and earthy taste, easy to toss without peeling. Quick boil method means peas stay crisp, not floppy. This one’s a weekday lunch or light dinner, no fuss, just go deep on flavor profiles, balance acidity with cream, and rely on textures to captivate. Time it well — potatoes that are exactly fork-tender, peas that still grit between your teeth, eggs cooked just right with firm whites but creamy yolks.
Ingredients
Vinaigrette
- 150 ml 1/2 cup sour cream 12% or Greek yogurt
- 20 ml 1 1/3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 10 ml 2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
- 375 g 14 oz fingerling potatoes or small new potatoes
- 200 g 7 oz sugar snap peas, trimmed and halved crosswise
- 130 g 3/4 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 45 g 3 tablespoons smoked sausage or andouille sausage, diced
- 1 medium shallot, minced
- 5 ml 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 7 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
Salad
About the ingredients
Cream is flexible: use full-fat yogurt or sour cream around 12–15%. Avoid 35% cream here unless you want runny dressing. Vinegar choice crucial for acidity balance — cider vinegar adds mild fruitiness versus sharper white vinegar. Whole grain mustard chosen for texture and mild heat; Dijon works but changes profile. Potatoes: fingerlings preferred for skin-on experience, less peeling, firmer flesh. You can swap sugar snap peas with snow peas, trimmed similarly, but they cook faster — watch timing. Smoked sausage can be andouille, kielbasa, or even a lightly cooked bacon lardons; all add smoky fat. If no fresh thyme, tarragon or flat-leaf parsley for herbal brightness.
Method
Vinaigrette
- 1. Stir sour cream, vinegar, and mustard together in large bowl until smooth. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. The creaminess must be stable — don’t overdo vinegar or sauce breaks.
- 2. Bring salted water to boil in pot. Drop in potatoes whole if small or halved if bigger. Cook until potatoes can be pierced easily but still hold shape – about 30 minutes; test by stabbing with paring knife. Add snap peas last 3 minutes so they stay crisp and bright green. Drain immediately; rinse under cold water until cool to stop cooking and keep peas snappy.
- 3. While still warm, cut potatoes into halves or quarters to keep irregular chunks. Toss gently with vinaigrette, coating but not mashing. Warm potatoes absorb flavor better; cold dressing first may harden cream.
- 4. Fold in tomatoes, sausage, shallot, and thyme carefully -- want bursts of acidity and smoky fat balanced by herbs. Adjust salt and pepper. If sauce too thick, a splash cold water or vinegar to loosen gently.
- 5. Plate salad in shallow bowls or plates. Arrange egg quarters on top with cut side up, so yolks contrast with colors below. Don’t stir eggs in — keeps texture distinct.
- 6. Serve immediately or chill briefly. Avoid refrigeration too long or cream firms and salad dulls. Bring to cool room temp before serving if chilled.
Salad
Technique Tips
Start with dressing to let flavors marry while potatoes cook — creamy base tastes flat unmixed. Salt water in pot important for flavor infusion. Don’t overboil potatoes: piercing test is best; soft but not falling apart. Peas added last to maintain bite and vibrant green color. Immediate ice-water bath or cold rinse crucial stop heat; avoids overcooking and mushy texture. Warm potatoes absorb dressing better than cold — helps to integrate flavors. Gently fold ingredients to keep textures distinct; no mashing. Eggs quartered, not sliced, preserve yolk integrity for visual and textural contrast. Season final salad, taste for vinegar and salt - cream dulls acid a bit so adjust. Chill briefly if desired, but serve near room temp for full creaminess. Dressing thick? Thin sparingly with water, not extra vinegar—too acidic breaks emulsion. Plate with eggs on top for presentation and textural interest.
Chef's Notes
- 💡 Use fresh herbs like thyme; they brighten flavors. Dried won’t work as well. If no thyme, tarragon could work.
- 💡 Cut potatoes after boiling—warm soak up vinaigrette. Avoid cold ingredients first. Delicious flavor infusion.
- 💡 Smoked sausage is flexible: andouille, kielbasa, or bacon. Each one brings unique taste. Choose based on preference.
- 💡 Watch potato boiling. Use fork test: tender but firm. Overcooked turns mushy—don’t let that happen.
- 💡 Chill briefly but don’t refrigerate too long. Creaminess fades, dull texture results. Room temp for best serving.
