With the weather getting warmer, my thoughts start straying in the direction of picnics. Picnics, according to my personal definition which I have just made up, can be eaten indoors or out, at a table, on the ground or even in the car. There are certain parameters, however. The setting must be nice and the company good, but above all, what defines a picnic is the food. Picnic food must be casual and even a bit louche. Foods like cold fried chicken, that maybe challenge the boundaries of decorum to eat. Bread torn from the loaf, with a nugget of cheese. Food that is maybe unbeautiful, or unchic, but undeniably delicious. And the king of picnic food might just be potato salad.
I don’t think I have ever met a potato salad I didn’t like. Warm German potato salad slick with olive oil, simple mayonnaise potatoes with herbs, purple potatoes with green beans and parsley, even that sweet yellow stuff from the deli with the bright red flecks of an unidentifiable pepper – I love them all. But something about this particular potato salad spoke to me – roasted potatoes made tart with vinaigrette and a trio of my favorite flavorings: capers, cornichons, and smoked paprika.
