Herb Potato Salad, Made with FlareLine "GREEN NUDGE"

Potato salad turns watery because the potatoes are seasoned after they have cooled.

Drain the potatoes, return the pot to the heat, and shake it for just 30 seconds to drive off the moisture. While they are still hot, pour over the vinegar and salt, and mix while crushing about half of them. That is the demanding part; the rest is just cooling and folding.

FlareLine "GREEN NUDGE" is a blend whose top four ingredients on the label are all herbs. The green aromas of tulsi and basil are fragile under heat, so the blend goes in with the mayonnaise, off the heat. It contains no salt, so season exactly as you always do.

It keeps well in the refrigerator for two days. A touch of color for the summer table.

Total time: about 25 min

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• FlareLine "GREEN NUDGE": 1 tsp
• 4 potatoes
• 1/3 carrot
• 1 cucumber
• 1/4 onion
• 2 eggs
• 4 slices of ham
• 1/4 lemon
• Vinegar: 1 tbsp
• Salt: 1/2 tsp
• Mayonnaise: 4 tbsp
• Olive oil: 1 tbsp

Preparation

1. Peel the potatoes, cut them into quarters, and soak in water for about 5 minutes. Drain in a colander before boiling and let the water run off thoroughly. Water left behind is what makes the finish blurred and watery.
2. Cut the carrot into 2 mm quarter-rounds.
3. Slice the cucumber into 1 mm rounds, sprinkle with a little salt, leave for 5 minutes, then squeeze out the moisture.
4. Slice the onion thinly along the grain, soak in water for 5 minutes, then squeeze dry.
5. Cut the ham into 1 cm squares. Squeeze the juice from the lemon.

Instructions

1. Put the potatoes, carrot and eggs in a pot, add enough water to cover, and bring to the boil. Ten minutes after it comes to a boil, take out just the eggs and put them in ice water.
2. Boil the potatoes and carrot for about 2 more minutes, until a skewer slides through easily, then drain.
3. Return the pot to low heat and shake it for about 30 seconds to drive off the surface moisture. When the potatoes look dusted white, that is enough.
4. Turn off the heat and, while everything is still hot, pour over the vinegar (1 tbsp) and salt (1/2 tsp), mixing with a wooden spatula while crushing about half of the potatoes. Seasoning at this stage keeps water from seeping out later.
5. Once cooled to warm, add the mayonnaise (4 tbsp), olive oil (1 tbsp), lemon juice and FlareLine "GREEN NUDGE" (1 tsp), and mix.
6. Add the cucumber, onion, ham and the peeled, roughly chopped eggs, and fold them in with a cutting motion.
7. Taste at the end and adjust the salt. GREEN NUDGE contains no salt, so season exactly as you always do.

If making it ahead, squeeze the cucumber harder than usual. It changes how watery the salad is the next day.