Chef Daniel Canzian, a pupil of Gualtiero Marchesi, with his famous restaurant in Milan insists on specific criteria for the perfect Milanese Cotoletta: veal, bone-in, bare, coarse bread, browned in butter. It should be cooked slowly and gently, turned once, and not coated with butter or seasoning. Serve with side dishes like tomatoes, green beans, salad, traditional or mashed potatoes—no need for lemon. Instead of just serving mashed potatoes, we are highlighting here a number of different potato salad variations - from all over Europe.
However, in other countries potato salad is is also popular to accompany a breadcrumbed cotoletta. In particular in Germany and Austria (Wiener Schnitzel). Italy, a classic potato salad is dressed with extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt, and parsley. In Germany, the famous Kartoffelsalat is enjoyed in various regional versions, featuring ingredients like sweet and sour cucumbers, onions, bacon, eggs, radishes, apples, herring, and chives. The northern regions typically use mayonnaise for dressing, while the southern regions and areas up to Croatia use a mixture of meat broth, white wine vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, and mustard to dress the potatoes.
In France, the potato salad is known as Salade de pommes de terre and is typically dressed with a light vinaigrette made with extra virgin olive oil, broth, tarragon vinegar, and sometimes mustard. However, in Alsace, the potato salad, known as Grumbeere Salat, is soaked in beef broth or local sausage cooking water and flavored with rustic mustard, and is preferred to be eaten hot. In Austria, the classic potato salad, Erdäpfelsalat, which literally translates to earth apple salad, is a traditional dish from Austrian cuisine. The most well-known is the Viennese version. It's made with boiled, peeled, and sliced potatoes, seasoned with a hot marinade of beef broth, vinegar, oil (pumpkin seed oil), chopped onions, pepper, and sugar. It's often served with Vogerl (songino) leaves and is the traditional accompaniment for Wiener Schnitzel. In Upper Austria, the onions are fried before being added to the potatoes. In Spain, there are numerous variations of potato salad. One surprising version is the Ensalada Andaluza, also called Remojón andaluz, which includes potatoes, cod, orange, spring onion, and olives, with a dressing based on extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, and parsley. Another Spanish potato salad is called piriñaca, hailing from Cantabria. It's a colorful dish combining the flavors of potatoes, spring onions, peppers, tomatoes, eggs, and tuna. It's often garnished with olives stuffed with anchovies and lettuce leaves and is dressed with mustard vinaigrette.
In Greek gastronomy, potato salad, known as Patatosalata, is a rustic dish that complements roast chicken, grilled lamb, and other Mediterranean-inspired dishes. The recipe is simple: boiled potatoes are seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, fresh parsley, red onion, garlic, dill, and optionally, pieces of feta cheese. All the ingredients are mixed together and the salad is served cold or at room temperature to allow the flavors to meld. The Turkish version of potato salad, Patates Salatasi, is light and refreshing with a pleasant citrus note. It is made with boiled potatoes, chopped onions, spring onions, black pepper or chili pepper, olive oil, lemon juice, chopped parsley, and a pinch of sumac. Boiled egg is often added. Turks typically serve this salad as a "meze," or appetizer, not as a side dish.
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