Potato Salad Sando

I awoke in a tatami room. The scent of cedar and distant rain filled the air. My jacket was gone. So were my shoes. The memory of the previous night came flooding back—potato salad, an ill-timed compliment, an arranged marriage that may or may not have been legally binding.

A soft knock. The door slid open.

There she was—the sharp-eyed woman from the izakaya, now holding a plate. Not a contract. Not a ceremonial kimono. A sando.

Golden, pillowy shokupan, sliced so cleanly it looked like it had been cut with a samurai’s regret. Inside, a thick layer of the potato salad that had nearly upended my life. Creamy, tangy, just the right amount of crunch. The edges of the bread had been trimmed away—a gesture both polite and ominous.

She knelt beside me, eyes unreadable. “Eat.”

I did.

The bread disintegrated. The potato salad melted across my tongue like a whispered confession. This was no mere sandwich. This was strategy. A final temptation. A test. A last chance to reconsider my foolish Western ways and accept my fate as an honorary grandson-in-law.

She watched me carefully. If I asked for seconds, I would be sealing my destiny.

I set the plate down. Bowed my head.

A long pause. Then—a small, knowing smile.

She stood, took the plate, and left without a word.

I had survived.

But as I walked barefoot into the Tokyo morning, one thought gnawed at me, more persistent than any regret:

I should have asked for seconds.

How To Make Japanese Potato Salad

The ingredients in this recipe are fairly common and easy to find. Probably why this is such a popular homestyle dish. The one thing you absolutely do need is the Japanese mayonnaise as the flavor it imparts to this salad are so unique. If you don’t want to make your own Japanese Mayonnaise (very easy) then you can try to order it online or pick it up at an Asian grocery store.

Ingredients

• 3 large Potatoes – I use a few Russet potatoes which work well in this recipe. You can use any potato that you would use for fries as it will likely work just fine.
• 1 large Carrot – peeled and sliced into very thin quarter-rounds.
• 2 Persian Cucumbers – or one long English cucumber. Halved and sliced into thin half-rounds
• 1 cup Corn – you can use frozen or canned, both work well in this recipe.
• 2 Eggs – hardboiled
• 75 grams Ham – this is about a couple sheets of thick style lunchmeat ham or about half a cup of julienned cut ham.
• 2 tbsp Japanese Mayonnaise – or to taste. Start with 2 heaping tablespoons and then add more later if necessary (I often go up to 4 but it really depends on how wet your potatoes and vegetables are).
• 1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
• 1 tsp White Pepper – or to taste
• Salt – to taste, plus for salted the boiling potato water
• 1 tbsp Sugar – optional, if you feel the dish would benefit.
• Green Onion – optional, for garnish

Making The Potato Salad Step By Step

Step one in making this salad is to boil the potatoes. Peel them and cut them into chunks, then place in a pot. Fill the pot with water so it is one inch (2.5cm) above the tops of the potato pieces. Bring to a boil and let them cook until the potatoes are fork tender.

While the potatoes are cooking you should work on everything else. Cut your cucumbers into half moon slices and sprinkle them with about two teaspoons of salt. Set them aside and work on cutting the carrots and ham.

Once your potatoes are fork tender, about 25 minutes, give them a very rough mash. You don’t want creamy mashed potatoes. Just use the masher to chunk them up a bit like the picture above.

Next add the carrots, corn, and ham.

Take your salted cucumber pieces and run them under ice water to rinse them of the excess salt. This will keep the cucumber from bringing too much salt to the potato salad, as well as keeping them nice and crisp.

Add the cucumber, chopped boiled egg, Japanese mayonnaise, vinegar, and white pepper to the bowl. If you are adding sugar you can add it now, or just wait until after mixing and then add to taste.

Give everything a good mix with a paddle or rubber spatula. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Then place in a serving bowl. Garnish with some chopped green onion and enjoy!

How To Make A Potato Salad Sando

Once you have your Japanese potato salad all you need is the bread! In Japan they use a soft white bread similar to what you would find all over the world. However you can use a different bread if you desire, I am just using this bread as it is the one traditionally used in Japan.

On one of the slices just add a heaping amount of the Japanese potato salad. Make sure to pile it thick, and spread it out all the way to the corners. Then simply top with the other slice of bread and cut the sandwich in half diagonally.

Feel free to cut the crusts off if you like. You can even serve these with afternoon tea. It’s not nearly as traditional as cucumber tea sandwiches for example, but hey, you’re eating it so do what you want.

Potato Salad Sando