Potato, carrot and hard-boiled egg, cubed and folded into mayonnaise. Five ingredients, and one rule that decides whether it works.
Everything must be cold
Mayonnaise is an emulsion: oil suspended in egg yolk, held together in a state it would rather not be in.
Warm potato breaks it. The heat thins the oil and the emulsion separates, leaving a greasy, curdled dressing that cannot be brought back. Drain everything, spread it out to cool, and put it in the fridge if you are in a hurry.
This is the single most common way this salad goes wrong, and it is entirely avoidable.
Waxy or floury potato
- Waxy potatoes hold their cubes and give a salad with distinct pieces.
- Floury ones crumble at the edges and partly dissolve into the mayonnaise, giving something creamier and rougher.
Both are used. Colombian versions tend toward the second, which is closer to ensalada rusa.
Twenty minutes is a long boil
An egg is hard-boiled in about ten minutes. Twenty gives a fully set yolk with a grey-green ring around it, caused by iron and sulphur reacting at the boundary.
The ring is harmless and purely cosmetic. If it bothers you, ten minutes followed immediately by cold water avoids it entirely.
Dice the carrot before boiling
A whole carrot takes half an hour to cook through; diced, it takes about ten minutes. The ingredient list says diced and the method boils it alongside whole potatoes, which is why the timing in the original recipe was confusing.
More salads
- Ensalada rusa — the fuller version.
- Beet and carrot salad — raw and pink.
- Carrot salad — the quickest one.
- Stuffed avocados — a similar filling.
Egg and Potato Salad FAQ
The potato was still warm. Mayonnaise is an emulsion and heat breaks it, separating the oil out into a curdled mess that cannot be recovered. Cool everything completely, in the fridge if necessary, before dressing.
Waxy hold their cubes and give distinct pieces; floury crumble at the edges and make the salad creamier and rougher. Colombian versions tend toward the second, which is closer to ensalada rusa.
Twenty minutes is longer than an egg needs. The ring is iron and sulphur reacting at the boundary between white and yolk, and it is harmless. Ten minutes followed by cold water avoids it.
Before. Diced carrot cooks in about ten minutes against half an hour for a whole one, which is why the original timings did not add up.
Two days in the fridge, covered. Potato salad does not freeze: the potato turns grainy and the mayonnaise separates.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 potatoes (a waxy variety holds its shape better in a salad)
- 1 carrot, diced (diced before boiling: it cooks in about 10 minutes that way)
- 3 eggs
- Salt, to taste
- Mayonnaise, to taste (added once everything is cold, not warm)
Notas
Instructions
- Put the eggs in a small pot and boil them for about 20 minutes, or until done, then peel them.
- At the same time, in another pot, cook the potatoes and the diced carrot over medium heat for about 30 minutes, or until tender.
- Let everything cool, then chop the potatoes and the eggs into cubes.
- Mix the potato, carrot and egg in a large bowl, add the mayonnaise and salt to taste, and stir.
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