At first rich, then intensely warm and piquant, this is a perfectly balanced salad for accompanying fish or maybe a grilled steak. It is just the job with freshly dressed crab or smoked trout or eel. The potatoes should be warm when you dress them, and eaten within twenty minutes or so, giving them time to soak up the flavors but not dry out. If you are dressing the salad in advance, I suggest you make a double quantity of dressing.

　　

Ingredients

enough for 4

　　half a cucumber

　　new potatoes – 1 to 1 1/2 pounds (500 to 750g)

　　

For the Dressing

superfine sugar – a good pinch (but no more)

　　white wine or cider vinegar – a tablespoon

　　Dijon mustard – a generous tablespoon

　　olive oil – 4 tablespoons

　　juniper berries – 6, lightly crushed

　　dill – 2 tablespoons, chopped

　　

Step 1

Peel the cucumber, halve it down its length, and remove the seeds with a teaspoon—they will only make the salad wet. Slice the cucumber into chunks about 3/4 inch (2cm) thick. Sprinkle lightly with salt and let sit in a colander in the sink for about half an hour.

　　

Step 2

Bring a pan of water to a boil. Scrub the potatoes, thumbing off any flaky skin as you go. Salt the water, add the potatoes, and let them boil for about fifteen minutes, until they are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Drain them and briefly set aside.

　　

Step 3

While the potatoes are boiling, make the dressing. Put the sugar and vinegar in a small bowl and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add some black pepper. Mix in the mustard, then gently whisk in the olive oil. Stir in the juniper berries, the cucumber, and the chopped dill and set aside.

　　

Step 4

Slice the warm potatoes, letting them fall into the dressing, then fold them together gently. Let sit for no more than twenty minutes, then serve.

　　Tender