How many potatoes to cook for Olivier?

Potatoes for salad are usually cooked without peeling, “in their skins”. So root vegetables retain a maximum of useful elements and do not boil over. For cooking, neat potato tubers are chosen, of the same size, without greens and obvious defects. Rinse well, brushing off the remnants of the earth with a soft brush. Then the potatoes are placed in a saucepan and poured over with hot water just above the vegetable level. If you immediately add salt to the water, then the peel will not crack, and the taste of the potatoes will be more intense. Readiness is easily checked with a sharp knife. If the blade easily reaches the middle of the root vegetable, then it’s time to drain the water. Heating ready-made vegetables in a saucepan over an open fire will allow the remaining water to evaporate.

The cooking time for potatoes depends on the size of the tubers. The process usually takes about 25 minutes. You can speed it up by using a microwave oven, where the potatoes are cooked in 10-12 minutes. But the pressure cooker will only add to the hassle of waiting for the steam to release, and the time, in the end, will be the same as when boiling in a saucepan on the stove.

By the way, if you are cooking potatoes for Olivier salad, keep in mind that it is more convenient to cook potatoes with carrots.

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