Lagniappe for the Fourth

with Lafayette's French potato salad

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Whether your Fourth of July feast centers on burgers and barbecue or on fat boiled lobsters, as is traditional in Maine, chances are you had a potato salad with it. Like early corn or the first tomatoes, potato salad evokes the holiday so strongly that it sits in all its mayonnaise-y glory at the prominent center of the picnic table, next to the watermelons and the box of sparklers to ignite as soon as twilight descends.

This year, however, in a bow to American history, I made a potato salad that would have been familiar to that Revolutionary hero, the French patriot, Marquis de Lafayette. That is, had potatoes been something he knew. Which he did not. Although they had been introduced in France way back in the late 16th century, potatoes were widely scorned as animal food and possible disseminators of leprosy. They were banned as dangerous toxins by the French parliament in 1748, a ban that was only rescinded some 25 years later owing to the efforts of M. Parmentier, a French agronomist who was convinced of the potato’s virtue. Which is why any dish that contains potatoes in France is called to this day à la parmentier. Quelle hommage!

aux armes, citoyens!

But poor Lafayette, he knew not the pomme de terre.

Still, a French salade de pommes de terre is a good one to go with dishes as rich as burgers, as overwhelming as barbecued pork ribs, as demanding as lobster. That’s because in place of gloppy mayonnaise, the warm potatoes get dressed with a spicy, herby, mustardy vinaigrette made of a top-ranked fruity olive oil and—touch of class in fine French style—champagne vinegar.

Here’s how to make it for 6 to 8 servings:

The Potatoes

• 3 pounds small waxy potatoes (yellow Finn, Yukon gold, fingerlings, or similar) – whole and unpeeled but rinsed of garden muck

• 2 bayleaves

• 2 sprigs fresh thyme

• 1 or 2 sprigs fresh rosemary

• Sea salt

• 1 tablespoon apple cider or white wine vinegar

• 2 Tbsp. good dry white wine

• 2 Tbsp. chicken stock – for vegetarians, add another Tbsp wine

The Vinaigrette

• 3 Tbsp. Champagne vinegar

• 1 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 cup fruity olive oil

• 1 bunch scallions (white and green parts), thinly sliced

• About 1/2 cup finely chopped and/or julienned fresh green herbs, including chives, dill, flat-leaf parsley, basil, lovage, garlic chives (any or all of these)

In a heavy saucepan, cover the potatoes with cool, room temperature water, adding bayleaves, rosemary, thyme, 2 tablespoons sea salt, and the tablespoon of vinegar. Set over medium heat, bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 20 to 30 minutes, until the potatoes are just cooked through and you can pierce them to the center with a paring knife.

Drain in a colander and return the potatoes to the pot, setting a kitchen towel over them to let them steam for 5 or 10 more minutes.

Combine the stock and white wine in a bowl deep enough to hold all the potatoes.

As soon as you can handle the potatoes comfortably, peel them, cut in halves or quarters, or slice them ¼ to ½ inch thick, adding the cut pieces to the bowl as you go along, stirring the pieces gently with a rubber spatula so the warm potatoes will absorb the liquids in the bowl, without breaking up.

Combine the vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper, and olive oil, whisking to emulsify, then stir in the scallions and slivered herbs and pour over the potatoes, turning the potatoes gently in the vinaigrette with the spatula. Taste and add more salt or pepper if you think it’s needed.

Set aside for at least 30 minutes so the potatoes absorb a lot of the flavors, then serve while still a little warm or at room temperature. (This salad loses a lot of appeal if chilled in the fridge. If you must do that, give it time at least to come back to room temperature before serving.)

Other additions are traditional and tasty, including thinly sliced small gherkin pickles, sliced hard-boiled eggs, slivered celery (especially if you don’t have any lovage), capers (rinsed of salt) or caper berries chopped, other aromatics: tarragon, thyme, red piment d’Espelette or smoked Spanish pimentón de la Vera.

For a heartier dish, combine the potatoes, just before serving, with top-quality canned tuna, flaked right into the salad, with some slivered red onion rings.

sail on, O Ship of State, sail on!

Sail on, O Union, strong and great!
Humanity with all its fears,
With all the hopes of future years,
Is hanging breathless on thy fate!