Basta Pasta Potato Salad

Makes 6 servings

Basta Pasta is the name of a New York City restaurant that is really Italian, slightly Asian and very happy to be indescribable, kind of like these potatoes. Seasoned with pickles and capers, wasabi, orange and saffron, there’s surprise after surprise in this dish. In fact, the potatoes were such a surprise when I first had them that I can’t remember what they were served with. Salmon tartare? Or smoked salmon? Or salmon burgers? They’d be good with those. Hamburger? They’d make a swell match. Grilled tuna? Something leafy and green? That would be nice.

When I put together this recipe, based on the flavors I remembered, I made a big bowl (I doubled this recipe; you can even triple it) and served the potatoes as one of many dishes in a buffet. The potatoes hold up well on the table, and any leftovers are delicious the following day, all of which means that this is a great party dish. Think of it the next time you’re grilling. Or even the next time you want something to serve with hard-boiled eggs or a can of sardines.

• 1½ pounds (680 grams) small potatoes, such as fingerlings, scrubbed or peeled
• Kosher salt
• 1 orange
• Pinch of saffron threads
• ⅔ cup (160 ml) mayonnaise
• ⅓ cup (80 grams) finely chopped sweet pickle, plus 2 tablespoons of the pickle juice
• 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed, patted dry and coarsely chopped if large
• 2 mini (Persian) cucumbers, peeled and finely diced (or 1 small regular cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and diced)
• 3 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon wasabi paste, or to taste
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Working Ahead

This dish is best made a day ahead — you want to give all the disparate ingredients a chance to cozy up to one another.

Put the potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold water, add enough salt to make the water taste salty and bring to a boil. Lower the temperature so that the water’s at a strong simmer and cook until the potatoes can be easily pierced with the point of a knife, 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the potatoes and their size; check early and often. Drain in a colander, rinse under cold water and leave the potatoes to dry in the colander.

Finely grate the zest of the orange into a large bowl, and squeeze 2 tablespoons of the juice into a small bowl. Add the saffron to the juice, rubbing it between your fingers as you do, and let it soften in the juice.

Put the mayo, pickle and juice, capers, cucumbers, scallions and wasabi into the bowl with the zest and stir to mix. Cut the potatoes into small chunks and add them to the bowl, along with the orange juice. Stir gently to coat the potatoes. Add sea salt and pepper. Though there are many salty ingredients, I find it still needs a generous bit of salt.

You can serve the dish now, but it’s best if covered and refrigerated overnight. If it’s cold, taste again for salt.

 

Storing: The salad can be stored in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.