The best potato salad is made by dousing hot potatoes with French Dressing so they take in the flavour before tossing in a creamy dressing. Complete with essential add-ins: bacon, cucumber and celery. Every bite is perfection!

Prefer no mayo? Try German Potato Salad, Red Potato Salad with Charred Corn, Lemon Potato Salad and Wickedly Delish Sweet Potato Salad.

A Potato Salad you’ll make again and again…

This is a potato salad recipe given to me by the mother of a friend. To respect her privacy, let’s call her Mrs B.

The very first time I heard how Mrs B makes her potato salad, I instantly knew that this was one that would stand out from the crowd of thousands – millions – of potato salad recipes “out there” in the world wide web.

The thing that makes it so special is pouring French Salad Dressing over the hot boiled potatoes. By dressing while hot, they absorb the French Salad Dressing flavour rather than just coating them. Which means, flavour inside the potatoes not just on the outside.

Combined with the creamy sour cream-mayonnaise dressing, salty bacon, and fresh bursts of celery, cucumber and onion, every mouthful is the perfect bite!

Plenty of dressing….but not overly greasy

The other thing I really like about this potato salad is the dressing. While I love a creamy dressing, I find using only mayonnaise too greasy. But I also don’t want to skimp on dressing. There’s nothing worse than a dry potato salad!

The solution: break up the richness of mayonnaise by combining with sour cream. I use a 50/50 ratio.

The addition of tang and hint of zing from a dab of Horseradish Cream also helps to cut through the richness. It’s optional but adds an extra little something-something to it.

And don’t forget, all this mingles together with the French Dressing the potatoes are soaked in!

After a creamy no-mayo version? Try this Creamy Yogurt Potato Salad Dressing – it’s terrific!

Ingredients for the Best Potato Salad

Here’s what you need to make the best potato salad on the block!

The potatoes and add-ins

• Potatoes – Potatoes vary widely in texture when cooked. For potato salad, I like to use starchy (floury) and all-rounder potatoes which become soft and fluffy when cooked and are a sponge to absorb the French dressing. The edges of the potato cubes mash up a bit when tossed with the dressing (nobody wants sharp-edged cubes in their potato salad!) and the surface becomes a little ragged so the creamy dressing clings to every surface

  Starchy/all-rounder potato types:
  – Australia: Sebago (dirt-brushed common potatoes), Coliban (white skin potatoes common at supermarkets)
  – US: Russet, Idaho and Yukon gold
  – UK: Maris Piper, King Edward, and Russet

  Waxy potatoes, on the other hand, do not absorb flavour nearly as well and have a firmer texture when cooked. While the potato cubes will hold their shape more perfectly when cooked with sharp cut edges, the surface is slippery so the dressing doesn’t adhere to it as well.

• Celery and cucumber – Welcome freshness! The celery is sliced finely so you get soft crunch but it becomes floppy rather than stiff sprigs sticking out. And the cucumber is finely diced rather than the typical slicing so you get great soft juicy little crunchy pops. Love!

• Raw onion (finely minced) – This cuts through the creaminess of the dressing and adds great subtle fresh flavour into the whole salad. The fact that it’s finely minced rather than just chopped or sliced helps – better dispersion throughout the whole salad plus you get the juiciness too. It kind of takes the place of garlic which I put in “everything” but is a little harsh in this particular potato salad.

• Bacon – Essential for a classic potato salad!

Dressing 1: The French Dressing

This is the dressing the hot potatoes soak up! The original recipe shared with me by Mrs B used store bought French Dressing which is an option. However, I just make my own – here’s all you need:

• White wine vinegar – The classic vinegar used for French dressing but can be substituted with apple cider vinegar, sherry or champagne vinegar (last resort: plain white vinegar).

• Olive oil is the oil of choice. The better the quality, the better the flavour!

• Dijon mustard – For flavour and thickening.

• Water – Missing from the photo! I use just 1 tablespoon of water to stretch out the dressing, rather than more oil (simply for health reasons).

• Garlic – flavour!

• Sugar – Just a touch, which takes the edge off the tang a bit too.

Dressing 2: The creamy dressing!

As noted right up front, I like my potato salad nice and creamy but I find just using mayonnaise is overly heavy. So I use a 50/50 sour cream/mayo combination.

(Reminder – mayo free version here!)

• Mayonnaise – Whole egg mayo is best as it is creamier and less tangy than ordinary mayonnaise. Readily available these days in grocery stores (it will say “whole egg mayo” on the label).

• Sour cream – Full fat please! Yogurt can be used as a substitute but sour cream does have a creamier mouthfeel.

• Horseradish cream – This is pickled fresh horseradish which has a zingy spiciness like wasabi. Because it’s pickled, it is vinegary. So this adds both a hint of spicy warmth and tang to the dressing.

  If you’re lucky enough to have fresh horseradish, use half the amount and add a couple of teaspoons of vinegar.

How to make potato salad

IMPORTANT! Creamy potato salads really are better made with starchy potatoes for texture and flavour, but you really need to take care not to overcook else they will crumble too much when tossing. Waxy potatoes would be easier to use because they hold their shape….but the eating part is not as good! I’ve done a lot of potato salad eating in my time to arrive at this conclusion.

1. Start in cold water – Cook cut potatoes starting in cold water. Never start potatoes in boiling water else they will cook too much on the outside before the inside cooks and crumble when tossed!

   Check frequently – Once the water comes up to the boil, start checking at 4 minutes and every 30 seconds thereafter. As soon as you can pierce a potato with almost no resistance, drain immediately. They will continue cooking with the residual heat.

2. French Dressing – Shake French Dressing ingredients in a jar until combined.

3. Creamy Dressing – Mix the ingredients in a bowl until smooth.

4. Soak hot potatoes – Gently transfer the potatoes in a bowl and pour over the French Dressing. Toss very gently using a rubber spatula. Minimum tosses just to coat, then set aside for at least 2 hours for the potatoes to cool and absorb the dressing. We are essentially marinating the potatoes here. You know this is going to be good!

   The cooled potatoes are also less fragile less susceptible to breaking when we mix with the remaining ingredients.

5. Add-ins – Add the cucumber, celery, onion, most of the bacon and all the creamy dressing. Toss gently until mixed through. If time permits, set aside for a few hours or better yet overnight, to let the flavours meld together. But honestly, even if you serve it straight away, it will still be the best potato salad of your life!

Proof of excellence

This potato salad will last 4 to 5 days in the fridge, and it just gets better with time. Make it once, and it will be a staple at all gatherings for years to come. I have never strayed from this recipe since the moment I tried it!

And as final proof of how great this potato salad is, even my mother who is a die-hard Japanese Potato Salad devotee couldn’t stop eating this. That’s just about the highest praise you can get.

Thank you Mrs B! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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The best Potato Salad

Recipe video above. Use this recipe if you want a really great classic potato salad. The secret step: dressing hot potatoes with French Dressing so they absorb the flavour before tossing with a creamy mayo/sour cream dressing. Every bite is perfection!

Great fresh, better in 3 hours, even better tomorrow. Thank you for the recipe, Mrs B, it really is the BEST!

Course Salad

Cuisine Western

Keyword Potato Salad

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Cooling 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Servings 6 – 8

Calories 329cal

Author Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Ingredients

Potato Salad

• 1 kg / 2 lb potatoes peeled and cut into 2cm/ 3/4" cubes (Aus – Sebago, Colban; US – Russet, Idaho Yukon; UK – Maris Piper, King Edward) (Note 1)
• 2 tsp cooking / kosher salt , for cooking potatoes
• 250g / 8oz streaky bacon
• 1/2 cup French Dressing – homemade (below) or store bought (Note 2)
• 3/4 cup cucumber, finely diced (1 x 15cm/6" cucumber, cut lengthwise and remove watery seeds first)
• 1 cups celery, finely sliced diagonally (~ 2 ribs)
• 1/4 cup white onion, finely minced , ~ 1/2 onion (Note 3)

Potato Salad Dressing

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise , preferably whole-egg
• 1/3 cup sour cream , full fat (sub yogurt)
• 1 tbsp horseradish cream (or horseradish relish) (Note 4)
• 1/2 tsp cooking / kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

French Dressing (essential! Note 2)

• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar (sub apple cider vinegar)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp water (for volume, rather than more oil)
• 1/2 tsp white sugar
• 1/2 garlic clove , finely grated or minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• French Dressing – Shake ingredients in a jar until well combined.
• Cook potatoes (CAREFUL! Note 5) – Put potatoes and 2 teaspoon salt in a large pot of cold water. Turn the stove on. Once the water is simmering, cook for 4 minutes or until the potatoes are JUST cooked (still bit firm in the middle) – they will keep cooking with residual heat. Drain immediately (gently!).
• Douse hot potatoes! Carefully transfer potatoes into a large bowl and pour over French Dressing. Gently toss to coat then set aside for 2 hours so potatoes absorb the dressing and cool (less fragile).
• Crispy bacon – Lay half the bacon in a cold non-stick pan. Turn onto medium high and cook until golden (the fat will melt as the pan warms up so it cooks in its own fat). Turn and cook the other side until golden. Drain paper towels, repeat with remaining bacon. Once cool and crisp, chop into small pieces.
• Creamy Dressing – Mix ingredients in a bowl until combined.
• Toss – Add creamy dressing, celery, cucumber, onion, and most of the bacon. Toss gently to combine.
• Serving – Serve garnished with remaining bacon. If time permits, I recommend setting aside for a few hours, or even better, overnight, to give the flavours a chance to meld. But still amazing served straight away! Always serve at room temperature, not fridge cold.

Notes

With many thanks to Mrs B, my friends’ mother who first introduced me to the game-changing French-dressing-doused-potatoes method!

1. Potato – use starchy/floury or all rounders rather than waxy ones as they will absorb and take in flavour better. They also slightly “mash” on the edges which is exactly how potato salad should be, in my opinion. Nobody wants to bite into flavourless bland potato chunks with sharp edges and slippery surface!

Read in post for notes on potato variety and why starchy is best.

2. French Dressing – Used to add flavour inside the potato pieces and this is what makes this potato salad so much better than the standard versions! The vinegar in the dressing also cuts through the richness of an otherwise very creamy dish.

3. White onion – Not as harsh as brown onion. Sub with 1 large eschallot (US: shallot) ie French onion, or  1/2 cup red onion or 1/3 cup brown onion finely minced.

4. Horseradish cream – Pickled fresh horseradish that adds a bit of wasabi-like spiciness and vinegar, balances richness of dressing (doesn’t make it spicy). If you are lucky enough to have fresh horseradish, use half the amount and add 2 teaspoons vinegar. Can skip and just add 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar.

5. BOILING POTATOES – Take care as we are using starchy/floury potatoes which will crumble too much if overcooked. We want the edges slightly “mashed” once mixed with dressing (potato pieces should not have sharp corners!) but if they are overcooked they will break too much.

Start checking at 4 minutes and check every 30 seconds. Drain even if they still a touch too firm because they will keep cooking.

6. Leftovers will keep for 4 to 5 days. Always serve at room temp – creamier and you can taste the flavours better!

Nutrition per serving assuming 8 servings. This factors in 2 tablespoons of bacon fat discarded.

Nutrition

Serving: 310g | Calories: 329cal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 529mg | Potassium: 669mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 171IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 1mg

Originally published August 2014. This is such a staple recipe in my life, I had to re-publish it with a video, sparkling new photos and of course add a Life of Dozer section!!

The potato salad family

German Potato Salad

Wickedly Delish Sweet Potato Salad

Lemon Potato Salad

Red Potato Salad with Bacon and Corn (no mayo!)

Devour – Maple Sweet Potato Salad With Tamarind Dressing

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing

Summer salads I love

Pearl Couscous Salad

Italian Pasta Salad with Homemade Italian Dressing

Macaroni Salad

Wild Rice Salad

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta Salad

The most amazing avocado pasta salad

Coleslaw

Pesto pasta salad

Antipasto Chickpea Salad

Pasta and Rice Salads

Life of Dozer

I was at the Good Food & Wine Show in Sydney on the weekend! JB and I were doing a cooking show on stage and book signings/meet ‘n greets.

The Fun Police (council) wouldn’t let Dozer into a food show. So I took the next best thing – a life size cardboard cut out. We’re getting a lot of mileage out of 2D Dozer! 😂

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The post The Best Potato Salad appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Affogato – coffee, dessert and your after dinner drink, all rolled into one. This is what you have when you’re “too full for dessert”! Just pour espresso coffee over vanilla gelato or ice cream, enjoy the melty swirls and dig in. The Italians are genius.

Affogato

When was your last affogato? It’s my go-to dessert at restaurants. Even if I claim I’m too full, affogato doesn’t count as it’s practically liquid, right? It’s like having a glass of water! (Yes, really, that’s how my mind works – don’t judge me!😂)

For those new to affogato, it’s a traditional Italian coffee-dessert where hot espresso is poured over gelato or ice cream, with the option of adding a splash of liquor. It’s coffee, dessert, and an after-dinner drink, all rolled into one. The contrast of hot, bitter coffee with cold, creamy ice cream is utter perfection. And the fact that it’s so simple with a bonus DIY fun factor? Brilliant!

Ingredients in Affogato

All you need for affogato is a shot of hot espresso (coffee), ice cream or gelato and optional half a shot of liquor (Frangelico, amaretto, rum). A little more information on each of these below!

• Espresso – This is a small concentrated shot of hot coffee. The standard size for a shot of espresso is 30 ml (1 ounce).

  It goes without saying that the better your coffee, the better your affogato!

• Vanilla gelato or ice cream – Traditionally gelato though ice cream is just as good, in my opinion! More important is the flavour. Vanilla is the classic choice because it pairs so well with coffee. Feel free to experiment!

  How much ice cream – Use one large(ish) or two small(ish) scoops for one shot of coffee, for a good balance of the two. Though if using liquor, I lean towards two medium scoops, as pictured.

• Liquor (optional) – To roll your after dinner drink into this all-in-one dessert, add half a shot of liquor! Amaretto (almond flavour) and frangelico (hazelnut) are probably the most common. Rum, sambuca and Kahlua are also standard offerings at Italian restaurants, and multiple readers suggested orange liqueurs (such as Grand Marnier and Cointreau). Though really, you can add anything you think/know goes well with coffee!

  PS A shot of liquor is 30 ml / 1 ounce so half a shot is 15 ml / 0.5 ounce which is 1 tablespoon. Though nobody will hold you back from dialling the quantity up.

Optional extras

The traditional affogato is nothing more than espresso, gelato and optional liquor. However, even in restaurants these days there’s all sorts of optional extras. So adapt to your taste and make affogato your own! Here are some suggestions:

• Chocolate grated or shaved on the ice cream (I did this)

• Biscotti for dunking (I also did this!) – or Italian Almonds cookies (thank you to the reader who suggested this!)

• Whipped cream

• Melted chocolate – I’d drizzle across the ice cream

• Crushed or chopped nuts – pistachio and hazelnuts would be on theme here

I know I’m missing a stack of other ideas – drop suggestions in the comments below so I can come back and add to the list!

How to make affogato

I need more recipes with so few steps!

1. Brew hot espresso using your coffee making appliance of choice. That’s 30 ml/1 ounce for a single shot.

2. Put a scoop or two of ice cream in a glass.

3. Pour over hot coffee. Enjoy watching the ice cream swirls melting into the hot coffee!

4. If using liquor, pour that over next. Eat!

PS I used a small beaker to do the pour shot so I could do a neat pour for the photos. I don’t use a beaker in real life!

Serving – for DIY pour

From a practical perspective, as restaurants do, serve the glass with just the ice cream in it and the espresso on the side. So the eater can pour then dig straight into the affogato before the ice cream fully melts.

Oh, and a side of biscotti for dunking wouldn’t go astray either. Recipe coming up soon. Never been fully happy with my biscotti attempts! Need to put some time into it, and it’s currently on my radar.

Share your affogato twists! Do you like yours straight up, classic, just coffee and vanilla gelato? Or are you all about the toppings and getting creative with ice cream flavours?? Don’t let anyone tell you how you should or shouldn’t take your affogato – make it your own! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Affogato

Recipe video above. The world's fastest and smartest dessert, courtesy of the Italians. This is what you make when you claim you're too full dessert! It's coffee, dessert and optional after dinner drink, all rolled into one. Genius.

Hot coffee and melty gelato or ice cream is a match made in heaven.

Course Cocktail, Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Keyword affogato, affogato al caffe, coffee dessert, italian dessert

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 1

Calories 183cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 1 large or 2 small(ish) scoops vanilla gelato or ice cream (Note 1)
• 1 shot (30 ml/1 oz) hot espresso coffee (short black) – Note 2
• 1 tbsp frangelico, amaretto or other liquor (optional) – Note 3

Instructions

• Put ice cream in glass suitable for affogato eating (Note 4).
• Place shot of espresso and liquor (if using) on the side.
• Pour the hot espresso then liquor over the ice cream. Enjoy swirls of melty ice cream blending into the coffee. Dig in immediately!

Notes

1. Gelato is traditional, ice cream is perfectly acceptable. Vanilla is the classic flavour and a dead-set perfect match with coffee flavour. However, feel free to use any flavour you want!

2. Espresso (short black) – Make sure it’s hot (so it melts the ice cream) and strong (so your ice cream coffee “soup” isn’t weak and bland)

3. Liquor – Kahlua, sambuca, rum and Bailey’s are also common offerings. Use what you know works with coffee!

4. Glass – Fancy restaurants use shallow cocktail glasses which I find impractical and poontsy, just for show. I like the glass taller than wider so you can dig in. Try to find one not too tall, it’s easier to eat out of.

5. Optional extras (not traditional, but nobody can stop you!)

• Biscotti (excellent for dunking)
• Chocolate shavings – use microplane or potato peeler
• Whipped cream
• Melted chocolate – on ice cream
• Nuts – roughly chopped pistacchio and hazelnuts on theme

Leftovers – nobody keeps half eaten melted affogato, do they??

Nutrition per serving, assumes 1/2 cup of ice cream which is a little on the generous side.

Nutrition

Calories: 183cal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 55mg | Potassium: 151mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 278IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 0.1mg

Life of Dozer

Going to town on ice cream garnished with a liver treat and doggie friendly sprinkles (pinched off another doggie treat!).

The post Affogato appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Sweater weather is officially here – let’s get cosy with Goulash! This Hungarian recipe is a slow cooked beef soup or stew that’s boldly flavoured with stacks of paprika which makes the sauce a deep, vibrant red colour. Think traditional beef stew – with extra character!

Goulash

If you think Hungary and think hearty food, then Goulash is probably exactly what comes to mind. Unsurprising given it is Hungary’s greatest food export!

Is it a stew? Is it a soup? It sort of lies between the two in terms of the amount of broth vs the stuff in it. Though one noticeable thing about traditional Goulash is that the broth is thinner than what you think of with stews, and it’s not thickened with flour or cream. Also, it’s not typically served over mash like stews, it’s served in bowls like soup.

As for flavour, I describe it as a beef stew with a sauce that reminds me of chorizo flavours thanks to a big hit of paprika and savouriness from a good amount of garlic, capsicum (bell peppers) and onion. It’s really, really good. Bolder than typical beef stew!

Note on authenticity: This is a recipe that is intended to respect traditional Hungarian Goulash. But as with all such recipes, every cook and every family has their own version. I am sure some Hungarians will disagree on something I’ve included! Please share your thoughts below but know that I did do my research!

Ingredients in Hungarian Goulash

Two things you’ll observe when you make this:

1. A LOT of paprika. Flavour and sauce colour!

2. A LOT of vegetables. 2 each onions, capsicum/bell peppers, carrots, tomato, potatoes. Flavour and heartiness!

Beef, spices and sauce

• Beef – The classic beef cut to use is beef chuck which is a tough cut of meat that becomes meltingly tender when slow cooked. If you can, get a single piece so you can cut it into cubes of the size we want, else get a thick steak. Always look for beef that is nicely marbled with fat. All too often, the grocery stores ones are disturbingly lean. We want the fat marbled throughout, it makes the beef so tender and juicy!

  Substitute – Beef osso bucco (boneless) and beef cheeks. The meat cubes will twist and buckle more once cooked but these are actually juicier than chuck. Gravy beef and brisket will also work but meat is a little leaner.

• Paprika – Use Hungarian or Hungarian-style if you can, the paprika is smoother and sweeter than ordinary paprika. Don’t use hot paprika – we’re using lots of paprika here, it will be way too spicy! Smoked paprika will make the sauce a little too smokey, though you could mix-and-match a little if you want.

• Caraway seeds – A traditional spice used in Goulash used in central European cooking. Not the end of the world if you don’t have it but you’ll love the little unique pops of flavour if you do!

• Beef stock/broth – The liquid used to make the sauce. Traditionally water was used, but no one can deny that using stock makes the sauce a whole lot tastier! I personally would not make this with water. If you use homemade beef stock, you could sell bowls of this for a pretty penny.

• Butter and oil – The fat for sautéing. I like to use both so you get the best of both worlds – butter for flavour, oil for effective searing (butter is ~15% water and susceptible to burning at high heats).

• Bay leaf – For flavour. Fresh if you can, or dried (pictured).

We don’t need flour to thicken the sauce – see next paragraph.

The vegetables

Some recipes use flour to thicken the sauce. I don’t find that necessary if you use fresh tomatoes rather than canned tomatoes, as they break down to thicken the sauce. It also makes the stew sauce taste less tomatoey which lets the paprika and other flavours come through more.

• Onion and garlic – flavour base.

• Capsicum/bell peppers – One each red and yellow if you can, or 2 red. Don’t underestimate the flavour this brings to the sauce! You can substitute the potato and carrot but don’t skip capsicum!

• Tomatoes – These break down to naturally thicken the sauce rather than using flour.

• Carrot and potato – Vegetable adds ins that fills it out. Feel free to switch with other root vegetables such as celeriac, parsnip, or even non-root vegetables like green beans. Note: These get added at the end of the cook time so the potato doesn’t disintegrate.

• Parsley – optional garnish

How to make Goulash

Usually, stews will call for beef cubes to be browned first, removed, then added back into the pot after sautéing the vegetables. Goulash goes all in. I doubted it at first but when I saw it go all stewy and the flavours mingling together before I even got to the slow cooking part, I understood.

And when I tasted the finished dish, it sealed the deal!

1. Cut beef into nice size chunks then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2. Cook onion first for 6 minutes until the edges are light golden.

3. Cook beef – Next, add the beef all in one go and stir until the surfaces changes from red to brown. You won’t be browning on the beef because there’s too much in the pot and that’s just how it’s supposed to be. All the flavours meld and come together in the next steps!

4. Add garlic, capsicum and tomato. Stir for 3 minutes to coat the vegetables in all the flavour in the pot. The tomato will mostly breakdown – it will break down completing during the slow cooking phase and thicken the sauce.

5. Spices – Add paprika, caraway and bay leaf. Stir for 30 seconds to coat everything in the tasty flavours.

6. Simmer – Add beef stock, stir, bring to simmer.

7. Slow cook – Cover with a lid and transfer to the oven for 1 1/2 hours. At this stage the beef should be pretty tender but not quite “fall-apart”, there’s still another 30 minutes to go. Stir in carrot and potatoes then cook for another 30 minutes. By this time, the potatoes (if you cut them the exact size I specify!!) should be soft and the beef should be “fall-apart”.

8. Serve – Sprinkle with parsley if you’re feeling fancy then ladle into bowls!

That’s Friday’s cheese bread pictured above, being dunked into the Goulash. Though you could do ordinary crusty Artisan bread. Both are no-knead, no stand-mixer, 3 minute dough making situations. Not mandatory…..but any kind of bread elevates soup-stew eating experiences, right??! – Nagi x

PS One final point – as with any stewy / slow-cooked recipes, Goulash tastes even better the next day. Completely and utterly company-worthy.

Watch how to make it

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Goulash (Hungarian beef stew)

Recipe video above. The national dish of Hungary! Boldly flavoured with stacks of paprika, lots of onion, garlic and capsicum/bell peppers, with fall apart hunks of beef. It's sort of a stew, sort of a soup. The broth is not supposed to be as thick as typical stews. It's naturally thickened slightly using fresh tomatoes that break down into the sauce.

Serve like soup in bowls with bread for dunking. (Try cheese bread. Obsessed!).

Course Mains

Cuisine European, Hungarian

Keyword goulash, hungarian goulash recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours 20 minutes

Servings 5

Calories 574cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 1 kg/2 lb beef chuck , cut in 3.5cm / 1.5″ cubes (Note 1)
• 1 3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp/ 30g unsalted butter
• 2 brown onions , cut into 1cm / 1/2″ squares
• 5 garlic cloves , finely minced
• 2 capsicum/bell peppers (1 red + 1 yellow), cut into 2 cm / 0.8″ squares
• 2 tomatoes , cut into 8 wedges then in half
• 1/4 cup Hungarian-style paprika (sub ordinary paprika, Note 2)
• 1 tsp caraway seeds , optional (Note 3)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 litre / 4 cups beef stock/broth , low-sodium
• 2 carrots , peeled, cut in quarters lengthwise then into 1cm / 0.4″ pieces
• 2 potatoes , cut into 1.2cm / 1/2″ cubes
• 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley , optional garnish

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan), though you can use your slow cooker or stove instead (oven easiest! Note 4).
• Season beef – Toss the beef with half the salt and pepper.
• Cook onion – Heat the oil and melt the butter in a large oven-proof dutch oven over high heat. Cook onion for 6 minutes until the edges are light golden.
• Cook beef – Add the beef and stir until the outside changes from red to brown, about 2 minutes. It won't go golden brown, it's not supposed to.
• Add vegetables – Add garlic, capsicum and tomato. Stir for 3 minutes – the tomato will mostly breakdown.
• Add paprika, caraway and bay leaf. Stir for 30 seconds.
• Slow cook – Add beef stock, stir, bring to simmer. Cover with a lid and transfer to the oven for 1 1/2 hours.
• Add potato – The beef should be pretty tender but not quite "fall-apart". Stir in carrot and potatoes. Return to oven, covered, for another 30 minutes. Beef should now be "fall-apart" – if not, return to the oven for 10 minutes at a time.
• Serve – Ladle goulash into bowls and sprinkle with parsley. Eat as is, with optional bread for dunking! (Pictured with cheese bread)

Notes

1. Beef – Also great with beef osso bucco (boneless) and beef cheeks. Gravy beef and brisket will also work but meat is a little leaner.

2. Paprika – Use Hungarian or Hungarian-style if you can, the paprika is smoother than sweeter than ordinary paprika. Don’t use hot paprika – we’re using lots of paprika here, it will be way too spicy!

3. Caraway seeds – a traditional spice used in Goulash used in central European cooking.

4. Cook methods – Oven is my preferred because you get caramelisation on edges/surface = extra flavour but no worries about base catching like with the stove.

Stove – Use ultra low stove heat, covered, for 1.5 hours. Stir every now and then to ensure base does not catch. Add potato and carrot, then cook 30 min.

Slow cooker – 6 hours on low, add potato and carrot, 2 hours on low.

5. Leftovers – As with all stews, this gets better overnight. Leftovers will keep for 4 to 5 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.

Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 574cal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 150mg | Sodium: 1361mg | Potassium: 1918mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 8879IU | Vitamin C: 91mg | Calcium: 96mg | Iron: 7mg

Life of Dozer

Office bathroom. Now doubles as Dozer’s playroom. Staff who walked into this had a good laugh!!

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If you love cucumbers, or even if you don’t, you have to try this Asian cucumber salad recipe! Smashing is essential to the making and eating experience – it creates crevices for the chunky chilli dressing to nestle in. The perfect combination of refreshing and firecracker heat. OBSESSED!

Spicy cucumber salad

Everybody who knows me knows that I become obsessed with shiny new toys and right now, that shiny new toy is Spicy Cucumber Salad. I’ve been making and eating it obsessively for weeks, sometimes as a meal, defensively using recipe checking as an excuse whenever someone commented on the presence of yet another tub of this in my fridge.

It’s quick to make. An addictive combination of refreshing cucumber with a spicy in-your-face dressing balanced with a generous handful of green onion and eschallots.

I can’t wait for you to become as obsessed as me. Let’s be defensive about our obsession together!

Scared of the chilli? Make Smashed Cucumbers with ginger sauce instead!

This cucumber smashing business

Cucumbers are slippery suckers. Dressing just doesn’t stick to it.

Which is why Asians are so fond of smashing cucumbers. Bash them with a meat mallet, rolling pin or other such heavy object so they burst open a bit. This creates splits and crevices for dressing and other salad add-ins (like green onions, sesame seeds) etc to nestle in. Which means more flavour in every bite. Plus you can salt them which draws excess water out which dilutes flavour when you eat them.

It’s a great technique. It’s effective for eating experience, and it’s fantastically therapeutic. Come home after a bad day at work and bash away!

Ingredients in Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad

Chilli crisp!

We’re welcoming back our old friend chilli crisp that I know you dashed out to get to make the Chilli Crisp Noodles from a few weeks ago. 😂 Adds great crunch from crispy chilli bits, bright red chilli oil and savoury flavour that all comes free in the jar – especially if you get the worldwide favourite Laoganma Crispy Chilli Oil which is popular for good reason. (Pictured below)

Spiciness – Surprisingly not that spicy, it looks far more fierce than it actually is! I can eat (small-ish) spoonfuls of it straight out of the jar.

Find Laoganma Crispy Chilli Oil in the Asian aisle of large grocery stores (Aus: Woolies), else in Asian stores, and read more about this addictive paste in the Chilli Crisp Noodles. Not to be confused with other chilli sauces made by this brand and similar, like Spicy Chilli Oil, Hot Chilli Sauce, Hot Chilli Oil. Look for the word CRISP or CRISPY or CRUNCH!

Other chilli crisp brands – There’s plenty out there, mass produced and boutique ones. Sold under various names but all akin to similar meaning – crispy chilli oil, chilli crunch, crunchy chilli oil, and just plainly “chilli crisp”. Also remember in the States, chilli is spelt with one “l” – chili.

The salad things

Here’s what you need for the salad part:

• Cucumbers – Use four cucumbers around 19 – 20cm / 7-8″ long. Scale up or down if yours are larger or smaller. I use four of what we call Lebanese cucumbers here in Australia (pictured) or 2 longer English / telegraph cucumbers which are around 30cm/1 foot long.

• Eschallot / French onion – Called shallots in the US, these baby onions are not as harsh onion-y and finer than regular onions. I find them a pain to peel – because they have fine, papery skin – so generally try to avoid them unless I really do think it makes a dish better. In today’s case, I like them because a) we use them raw and b) they flop better rather than being all pokey. Substitute with red onion but slice them extra finely. Maybe use a mandolin.

• Green onion – For more freshness in the salad. With all the cucumber freshness and the bold spicy sauce, this salad can can take it. It wants it!

• Sesame seeds – Tossed into the salad for extra sesame goodness.

The dressing

And here’s all you need for the very simple dressing. Because the chilli crisp does so much of the flavour heavy lifting here – it has garlic, salt, sugar, oil!

• Sesame oil – For beautiful sesame flavour. Use toasted sesame oil – it’s brown and has more flavour than untoasted (which is yellow). Default sesame oil sold in Australia is toasted, untoasted is harder to find.

• Rice vinegar – Because it’s an Asian salad, we’re using an Asian vinegar here which is milder than most western vinegars. However, any clear vinegar can be substituted in a pinch because this is not a primary ingredient – ordinary white vinegar, apple cider, champagne vinegar etc.

• Soy sauce – The salt in the dressing. Use an all-purpose one or light soy sauce. Don’t use dark soy sauce (too strong) or sweet soy sauce (too sweet).

How to make Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad

Super simple – smash cucumber, salt it (draws out water that dilutes flavour), toss with 3 ingredient dressing and as much chilli crisp as you dare!

Smash and salt

1. Smashing – Hit the cucumber with a meat mallet, rolling pin, hammer or similar and relish in the stress relief or simply enjoy the fun factor. Hit hard enough to make them split open down the sides but not so hard you squish them into mush.

2. Cut the cucumber lengthwise down the middle then into 2.4cm/1″ pieces.

3. Salt 30 minutes – Put them in a bowl then toss with salt. Leave for 30 minutes. The salt will draw out water from the cucumbers which dilutes flavour when you eat them. It also seasons the cucumbers all the way though.

   We’re only using 3/4 teaspoon salt here and you’ll be surprised how effective this is for the amount of cucumber we’re using.

4. Drain and discard the cucumber water from the bowl (too salty to re-use for another purpose). Use a colander if you want to be thorough else just drain it out of the bowl, using your hand to hold the cucumbers in.

Dress & toss

5. Dressing – Whisk the soy sauce, sesame oil and vinegar in a bowl until it combines properly. You’ll know because it becomes murky and thicker, rather than clear and split.

6. Dress – Add green onion, eschallots, sesame and dressing in a bowl.

7. CHILLI CRISP! Add 2 tablespoons of chilli crisp – or more if you dare! You want to get a mound of the crispy chilli – it will be well soaked with the red chilli oil that colours this salad. You can always add more after you toss. Taste and add, taste and add!

8. Toss well until the eschalots become floppy. Then pile up high into a shallow bowl and serve!

Eat with spoon

You’ll find that the longer this salad sits around, the more water is drawn out of the cucumbers. So a few hours after making / the next day, it looks like the above.

So, my unusual eating advice for this salad is as follows:

• Freshly made – The dressing is more intense flavoured and coats / gets stuck in the cucumber crevices better, less/little pooled on plate. Serve and eat with fork.

• After few hours / next day – Dressing is diluted from extra water drawn out of the cucumbers. It’s not watery and flavourless, but it’s not as intense as when freshly made. So eat with a spoon like soup to get plenty of dressing in each mouthful. It’s so good!

Enjoy! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Print

Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad

Recipe video above. If you love cucumbers, or even if you don't, you have to try this Asian cucumber salad recipe! Smashing is a classic Asian technique, it creates crevices for the chunky chilli dressing to nestle in. The perfect combination of refreshing and firecracker heat. OBSESSED!

Spice level – Decent warm buzz but not blow-your-head-off if you are using my go-to chilli crisp, the Laoganma Crispy Chilli Oil. Note 3.

Scared of the chilli? Make Smashed Cucumbers with ginger sauce instead!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Asian, Chinese

Keyword Asian cucumber salad, spicy cucumber salad

Prep Time 7 minutes

Salting time 30 minutes

Total Time 37 minutes

Servings 4 as a side

Calories 100cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 4 cucumbers (~20cm/8", scale up/down for shorter/longer, Note 1)
• 3/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
• 1 eschalot/French onion , halved then very thinly sliced (US: shallot) (Note 2)
• 1 cup green onion , green part only finely sliced (1 large, 2 small stems)
• 2 tbsp+ chilli crisp (crispy chilli oil) – Laoganma is my fave (Note 3)
• 2 tsp white seame seeds , toasted (save some for topping)

Dressing:

• 1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar (sub any clear vinegar)
• 2 tsp soy sauce , all-purpose or light (Note 4)
• 2 tsp sesame oil , toasted (ie brown, not yellow)

Instructions

Smash & salt cucumbers

• Smash – Hit cucumbers with a meat mallet, rolling pin or similar to make the sides burst open. Cut in half lengthwise then into 2.5cm/1" pieces.
• Salt 30 min – Place in a bowl, toss with salt. Set aside for 30 minutes to draw out water (Note 5). Drain/strain and discard salty water, leave cucumbers in same bowl.

Salad

• Whisk Dressing in a bowl.
• CHECK spiciness of your chilli crisp – they vary by brand. If using Laoganma, stick with recipe, else adjust to taste.
• Toss – Put green onion, eschalots, sesame seeds, dressing and chilli crisp in with the cucumbers. Toss until eschalots go floppy – ~30 seconds.
• Serve, sprinkled with extra sesame seeds and dollops of chilli crisp if you dare!
• Note: Water continues to come out of cucumbers so after few hours/next day, you'll have a lot more dressing but not as intense flavoured. So eat/serve with spoon to get plenty of dressing in every bite!

Notes

1. Cucumbers – I use four of what we call Lebanese cucumbers here in Australia, the equivalent is Persian in the US (though usually slightly smaller). Or 2 longer English / telegraph cucumbers which are around 30cm/1 foot long.

2. Eschalot/French onion – Called shallots in the US, not as hash onion-y as regular onions and more delicate so they flop and meld better. Sub with 1/s small red onion sliced extra finely. 

3. Chilli crisp – Laoganma is the worldwide favourite, sold in large grocery stores as well as Asian stores. It’s actually not that spicy, it’s more about the crunchy chilli and salty/sweet flavour.

Plenty of other brands – look for (Asian) jars with the word CRISPY, CRUNCHY or CRUNCH in it! Tres trendy in the Western world (I’m late to the party). Use leftovers for Chilli Crisp Noodles!

4. Soy sauce – All purpose or light soy. Not dark (too intense) or sweet (too…sweet!).

5. Smashing/salting – Draws excess water out of cucumbers than makes flavour watery.

6. Leftovers good for 24 hours, after this the cucumbers go a little too soft for my taste.

Nutrition per serving, assuming 4 servings as a side.

Nutrition

Calories: 100cal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 615mg | Potassium: 504mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 466IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 1mg

Life of Dozer

Empty. Told you!

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