Warm Potato and Fontina Salad

The cheesy potatoes are served over a bed of watercress and topped with aromatic pickled shallots.

Total Time: 50 mins
Servings: 4

• Pairing the warm potatoes and melty cheese with fresh watercress gives this salad a nice contrast of temperatures and textures.
• In addition to the spicy greens, the dish gets a hit of acid from homemade quick-pickled shallots, which are infused with allspice and juniper.
• The spiced vinegar used as the pickling brine then becomes the base for the salad's tangy mustard vinaigrette.

For this satisfying salad, Suzanne Goin steams potatoes then pan-fries them until golden, tossing in slices of Fontina at the very end so they get deliciously melty. Zingy watercress and quick-pickled shallots help cut the richness and keep the dish light enough for a first course.

Why use imported Fontina?

This style of cow-milk cheese is made domestically, but Goin recommends using an imported Fontina, ideally from Italy. The Alpine cheese has DOP status in the Valle d’Aosta, in the part of northeast Italy that borders Switzerland and France, where it has been made for 800-plus years. Italian Fontinas tend to be harder in texture than those made in the U.S., with a nuttier, earthier flavor that’s difficult to replicate.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

The pickling spices for the shallots include whole juniper berries; though less common than the other ingredients, they are sometimes available in grocery stores and can also be ordered online.

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Ingredients

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This recipe was developed at its original yield. Ingredient amounts are automatically adjusted, but cooking times and steps remain unchanged. Note that not all recipes scale perfectly. Original recipe (1X) yields 4 servings

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 4 whole black peppercorns

• 2 whole allspice berries

• 2 juniper berries

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 whole clove

• 1 shallot, thinly sliced

• 2 teaspoons whole grain mustard

• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

• 1 pound small Yukon Gold potatoes

• 4 ounces imported Fontina cheese, sliced

• 2 bunches watercress, tough stems discarded

Directions

1. In a small skillet, bring the vinegar, peppercorns, allspice, juniper berries, bay leaf, and clove to a boil. Remove from the heat, add the shallot, and let cool. Strain the vinegar; reserve the shallot and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of the vinegar. In a small bowl, whisk the reserved vinegar with the mustard and 3 tablespoons of the oil. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Steam the potatoes over boiling water until still slightly firm, about 10 minutes. Let cool; cut each one into 6 wedges.

3. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large cast-iron skillet. Add the potatoes and cook over moderate heat, turning once, until golden and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Top the potatoes with the Fontina and let melt. Add 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette to the skillet and swirl to coat.

4. In a large bowl, toss the reserved shallot slices with the watercress and the remaining vinaigrette. Transfer the salad to a platter, top with the potatoes and cheese, and serve at once.

Originally appeared: April 1999