Potato salad with a warm dressing is not just a variation, it is a method. We pour the tomato and olive dressing straight from the mixing bowl over the still-warm potato slices. The starch opens up, the liquid is absorbed, and the flavours bind together. Letting the salad cool before seasoning simply does not work here.
This salad has been our go-to barbecue side dish for years, whenever a classic mayo-based potato salad would feel too heavy. The combination of sun-dried tomatoes, black olives and fresh tomatoes creates a Mediterranean base that pairs well with meat, sausages or vegetarian patties. The dressing cooks for 3 minutes in reverse direction so the tomato pieces become soft without falling apart.
Tomato Olive Potato Salad with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 13 ✓
- 500 g water
- 600 g waxy potatoes small
- 30 g sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- 30 g black olives (pitted)
- 200 g tomatoes
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 100 g vegetable stock
- 20 g vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper freshly ground
- 1 tbsp medium-hot mustard
- 10 g rapeseed oil
- 2 sprigs parsley or basil
Instructions 0 / 7
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1
Cook the potatoes.
Add water to the mixing bowl, weigh the potatoes into the steaming basket and cook for 25 minutes / Varoma / speed 1. Rinse the mixing bowl and leave the potatoes to cool.
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2
Chop the olives and sun-dried tomatoes.
Drain the sun-dried tomatoes and olives, add to the mixing bowl and chop for 3 seconds / speed 4 using the spatula.
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3
Wash the tomatoes.
Wash the tomatoes, halve them, remove the stalks, cut into pieces and add to the mixing bowl.
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4
Blend the dressing.
Add sugar, vegetable stock, vinegar, salt, pepper and mustard to the mixing bowl and cook for 3 minutes / Varoma / reverse direction / speed 1.
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5
Slice the potatoes.
Meanwhile, peel the potatoes, slice them and place in a salad bowl.
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6
Mix the dressing with the potatoes.
Pour the still-hot tomato mixture over the potatoes and mix well.
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7
Serve.
Wash the parsley, shake dry and pluck off the leaves. Leave the salad to rest for a while, stir in the oil and serve garnished with parsley.
Tip: The salad goes very well with meatballs, grilled or fried meat and sausages.
Nutrition per serving
Why waxy potatoes and a warm dressing belong together
Waxy potatoes hold their shape when sliced. Floury varieties would fall apart. However, waxy potatoes barely absorb cold dressing because the starch molecules stay closed. The warm dressing from the Thermomix® at Varoma temperature opens the surface of the potato slices. The liquid with vegetable stock, vinegar and sugar is absorbed directly rather than just coating the outside.
That is why we peel and slice the potatoes only after they have been cooked in the steaming basket and left to cool. Then the hot dressing comes straight from the mixing bowl over the slices. That is the moment the salad takes on its flavour. Only then do we leave it to rest.
Sun-dried tomatoes in oil: intensity over quantity
30 g of sun-dried tomatoes in oil sounds like very little. But sun-dried tomatoes have 8 to 10 times the flavour concentration of fresh ones. We chop them for 3 seconds at speed 4 together with the olives. This creates small pieces that distribute evenly through the dressing. Larger pieces would sink and stick to the bottom.
The 200 g of fresh tomatoes go in diced. They provide juiciness and mild acidity. The sun-dried tomatoes provide depth. Together they achieve what a single variety of tomato cannot.
Reverse direction at Varoma: cooking the dressing without losing texture
3 minutes at Varoma temperature in reverse direction cooks the dressing and draws the flavour out of the tomatoes and olives. Reverse direction is essential here because the tomato pieces should become soft but not be blended. Without reverse direction the blades would turn the tomato pieces to mush. With reverse direction the Thermomix® stirs only, without cutting.
The vegetable stock adds umami, the vinegar adds acidity, the sugar adds balance. The medium-hot mustard emulsifies the dressing slightly and gives a mild heat. Without mustard the dressing would stay more watery.
Slicing the potatoes: timing matters
We slice the potatoes only after they have cooled. Hot potatoes crumble when cut, especially waxy ones. Once cooled they can be sliced cleanly without starch leaking out. The slices should be about 5 mm thick. Thinner and the salad turns mushy, thicker and the dressing does not absorb.
Place the potato slices in a salad bowl. Then pour the hot dressing over them straight away and mix gently. Do not stir too firmly or the slices will break. The dressing distributes itself if you give the bowl a gentle swirl.
Oil only at the end: why not earlier
The rapeseed oil goes into the salad just before serving, not into the dressing. Oil forms a film on the potato slices. If the oil is added too early, the watery dressing can no longer be absorbed. So let the salad rest first, then stir in the oil. The oil adds gloss and a light creaminess without displacing the liquid.
Wash the parsley (or basil), shake dry, pluck off the leaves and scatter over the salad. Fresh herbs add a green note that reinforces the Mediterranean character. Parsley is milder, basil more aromatic. Both work well.
Resting time and serving temperature
The salad needs at least 30 minutes to rest, ideally an hour. During that time the flavours draw into the potatoes and the tomato pieces release their acidity. The salad becomes more intense with each passing hour. On the second day it often tastes better than on the first, because the flavours have fully come together.
Serving temperature is room temperature or slightly cool. Served ice cold the salad tastes flat because the flavours are muted. At room temperature the tomatoes, olives and herbs come through best.
Fridge yes, freezer no
The salad keeps in the fridge for 2 to 3 days in a sealed container. The potatoes become softer over time but do not spoil. Freezing does not work because the potatoes turn mushy and glassy when defrosted. The starch changes its structure during freezing and releases water.
Take the salad out of the fridge 20 minutes before serving. It tastes better at room temperature than straight from the fridge.
Goes well with: Schnitzel.
More Mediterranean sides: Tzatziki with the Thermomix®, Ajvar with the Thermomix®, Hummus with the Thermomix®.
