Potato salad is divided into three parts — at least, that’s true of the shallot and snap pea potato salad I made for the summer picnic at the Red Shed Community Garden, and then again for Grilliardsburg, the annual Brooklyn backyard BBQ at Redd’s Tavern organized by local pool shark, gourmand, food activist, and all around excellent hostess Karol Lu.  The salad proved to be a hit at both events, and it came together pretty easily. The “three parts” to its preparation are: 1) fry shallots into crispy brown rings, and, importantly, reserve the oil they were cooked in; 2) blanch new potatoes and sugar snap peas just until they’re soft enough for salad and toss them with the oil; and 3) at serving time stir in fresh herbs and greens and top with the shallot rings.

(Once again, thanks to Cathy Erway for the photo of the finished dish)

Anthony Bourdain, at the end of Kitchen Confidential, lists shallots among his secret tips for making a home cooked dish taste like food from the pros. Indeed, these cousins to onions have a flavor that’s subtle and delicate, and that lends a certain je ne sais quoi to a dish that onions or garlic can’t deliver. At some point, somehow, I discovered that frying a sliced shallot in deep olive oil does two things: creates lovely, crispy-brown shallot rings; and leaves behind a delicious shallot-scented oil. I used this double-barreled technique to top and flavor a dish of boiled, smashed potatoes one St. Patrick’s Day a few years ago, and I thought of it again as I dreamed up this summer’s potato salads.

To make the shallot rings and shallot oil, simply peel and trim the shallots, slice them cross-wise into thin rings, and drop them into a small skillet in which about half an inch of olive oil has been heated until it’s fragrant and shimmery.  Add the shallot rings carefully to form a single, uncrowded layer. It’s much better to cook them in batches than to try and cook them all at once — they won’t crisp up well if they’re too crowded in the pan. Adjust the temperature as needed to keep the rings simmering calmly but vigorously and watch them closely so they don’t burn. They’ll take 5 minutes or so to cook, and they may all get brown at once, so you’ll have to move quickly once the batch is ready. With a slotted spoon remove them to a double-layer of paper towels, and fastidiously scoop out any remaining shallot bits; you’ll be using this oil later, so you don’t want to spoil its flavor by allowing them to linger in the oil and burn. Once all the shallot rings have been cooked to a crispy brown, allow the oil to cool slightly and strain it through a fine-meshed sieve.

I’ve always loved peas and potatoes together, and this summer the sugar snap peas at the Greenpoint greenmarket seemed especially plump and sweet. The new potatoes, which I bought from the Osczepinski Farms booth, were also a delight, with tiny potatoes the size of marbles mixed with more ordinarily walnut-sized and plum-sized spuds.  When I blanched them for the salad, I had to arrange them carefully so that the larger ones would go first into the kettle and boil the longest.

Blanch the potatoes until they yield easily to a poke from a fork but are still firm – don’t let them get mushy. Then give the snow peas (stems and strings removed) a quick dip in the boiling water as well. They’ll only need a minute or two to soften them and brighten their color — not so much that they lose their crunch. Allow them to cool slightly, then rough-cut them into thirds. You might also want to cut the larger potatoes into halves or quarters, depending on their size, to make them bite-sized. (I recommend cutting them after they’re blanched, not before, so their flavor doesn’t boil away into the blanching liquid). The little marble-sized spuds I left whole.

While the potatoes and snow peas are still warm, toss them with salt & fresh-ground pepper and dress them with the warm shallot oil. Add just enough oil to coat everything – not so much that it pools in the bottom of the bowl. Chill for an hour or so. Just before serving, toss in about a quarter of a cup of chopped fresh parsley and a small bunch of some kind of firm greens. I used sorrel, which I found at the greenmarket and which gave the salad both a slightly bitter edge and a delicious green freshness; endive, spinach, or even radicchio might work as well.  On top of it all spread the fried shallot rings. Yum!

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