I am wildly addicted to this salad. Here it is, in all its glory, just prior to our Christmas Eve meal at home with friends last year. Prepared often by these lovely friends, the salad was inspired by a similar concoction served at a Greek restaurant in their home of Tarpon Springs, Florida. It contains most, if not all, of the elements of a typical Greek salad: lettuce, tomatoes, red/purple onions, olives, cucumbers, pepperoncini, feta, and an oil and vinegar dressing. But wait! There's a very special addition, hidden underneath all of that: potato salad! And not just any potato salad, but
Japanese potato salad! Now, let it be known that I am, for some inexplicable reason, a complete nut for potato salad in any incarnation. There's something special about the Japanese version, though--it's very smooth and is made with yummy Japanese mayonnaise (in the weird Kewpie-doll-logo squeeze-plastic bottle!), and it's--well, it's just really good. When you have a bite of it with just a bit of feta, a crunchy piece of lettuce, maybe an olive: heaven.
When The Salad made its appearance on Christmas Eve, I asked everyone, "Is it possible to be in love with a salad?" They laughed, but I'm not sure why. Seriously, I don't believe I'd ever felt that way about a salad before. It's as if bells were ringing, birds were singing, and all was right with the world. Let's just say it wasn't the typical reaction to eating salad.
Anyway, we shared a meal with these friends last weekend, and because they are true friends, they made The Salad. I was just the teensiest bit territorial about it, though there was plenty for all. But the leftovers--just one small Pyrex container, not enough! When First Child headed into the kitchen the next day thinking she would have a scoop of my portion (all of it), I almost knocked the spoon from her hand.
This salad and I, we could take over the world.
