Here’s a surprise: this salad has its roots in China. “I went to Beijing once and had this dish of stir-fried potato with Sichuan pepper and ginger,” says chef Pasi Petänen, who has so far run food and wine pop-up That’s Amore in Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart with wine importer Giorgio De Maria. “I loved the texture of the potato – not raw, not cooked, but very crunchy, almost like al dente potato. That was always in my head.”
Later he came up with the idea to season the al dente potato with classic cacio e pepe flavours. Peranan says the pepper is the key to making this dish really pop. “Go hard, really hard.”
That’s Amore’s Potato, Parsley and Pepper
Serves 6 (as a side)
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
3 large desiree potatoes
2 egg yolks
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp sherry vinegar
300ml grapeseed oil
100g grated Parmigiano Reggiano
¼ bunch parsley
2 tbsp lemon juice
100ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
Method
Peel the potatoes, then slice into 2 mm thick rounds with a mandoline or knife. Cut rounds into long matchsticks and soak them in cold water for 30 minutes to remove excess starch.
Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Season the water with a good pinch of salt. Place the potatoes in the boiling water for 30 seconds and remove them straight to iced water.
Drain the cold potatoes in a colander.
Place the egg yolks, mustard and vinegar in a blender on high speed. Add the grape seed oil in a slow, continuous stream to form an emulsion. If getting very thick, add some water to achieve the consistency of yogurt. After adding all the oil, add the grated parmesan, blend until smooth and season with a pinch of salt.
Pick the leaves from the parsley. Wash the leaves and dry well in a salad spinner Dress with some lemon juice, olive oil and pinch of salt.
Place the potatoes in a bowl and add enough dressing to combine together. Leftover dressing can be kept in a sealed, refrigerated container for up to 5 days.
Season the potato with a generous amount of ground black pepper until it tastes spicy. Transfer the potato to a plate and scatter the parsley over.
Looking for more light dishes to cook at home in the summer? Check out Broadsheet's collection of recipes for when it's too hot to cook.
This is an extract from The Broadsheet Italian Cookbook, which features 80 recipes from Australia's best restaurants, cafes and bars.