Potato salad is about as German as it gets, and everyone seems to have a family version. This is the lighter southern German style, dressed with warm stock, mustard, and vinegar instead of mayonnaise, then finished with tender mache for a fresh, nutty green.

Ingredients

2 pounds waxy salad potatoes
2 shallots
4 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
2 pickled gherkins
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
A pinch of sugar
3/4 cup hot vegetable stock
4 cups mache
Coarse sea salt
Pepper

Directions

Wash the potatoes, place them in a saucepan of salted water, cover, and boil about 20 minutes until tender but firm.
Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the shallots. Heat 1 tablespoon of the sunflower oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add the shallots and caraway seeds, and fry about 1 minute until soft and fragrant. Tip into a large bowl.
Finely chop the pickled gherkins and add them to the bowl.
In a small bowl, stir together the Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, and a pinch of sugar.
Drain the cooked potatoes and rinse under cold water. Let them cool about 10 minutes, until warm but easy to handle, then peel and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Add to the bowl.
Pour the hot vegetable stock over the potatoes, add the mustard and vinegar mixture, and season generously with coarse sea salt and pepper. Stir gently, cover, and let soak for one hour, stirring now and then.
After soaking, stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons sunflower oil and adjust the seasoning.
Just before serving, fold in the mache and toss gently so it is evenly distributed. Serve.

A little chopped chives or dill is a nice finish, and the potatoes can be dressed ahead of time. Add the mache only at the last minute so it stays crisp.

Grower's tip: Mache, also called corn salad or lamb's lettuce, is one of the most cold-hardy greens you can grow. Sow it in late summer or fall and you can pick the little rosettes right through winter, even under a dusting of snow.

Grow the fresh parts of this salad at home with a patch of mache seeds, some caraway for the dressing, and a bed of shallots and onions.

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