Dominican ensalada de papa – Dominican potato salad!!!
I know you’ve been waiting for this one! Now you don’t have to wait for a special occasion to make ensalada de papa, as this recipe is vegan and has less fat than a traditional Dominican potato salad, and guess what… it’s just as good!
So how did I come up with this recipe?
Well, this recipe has been evolving for years! I want to say it started when I made my first ensalada de papa. I added apples! Oh the horror haha! My mom was confused however after she took a bite, she loved it. So much so that she stole my secret. She added apples to her ensalada de papa recipe, and has been using it in her recipe ever since! I do have to say, I did pat my shoulder regarding this one. If mom steals your recipe and calls it her own, you know you did something right.
100% vegan Dominican ensalada de papa- Dominican potato salad
How did I make my ensalada de papa (potato salad) vegan?
Simple, leave out the eggs? Wrong! Yes, I left out the eggs but unfortunately, you can immediately taste that something is missing. I corrected this by adding beets to help add more texture to the salad. I also crushed/smashed the carrots by hand instead of chopping them to mimic that smooth texture a boiled egg yolk would usually give. I finished by completing the salad with a plant-based mayo. You may have noticed by now that my ensalada de papa is pink, which is not traditional at all. This is because of the juice from the beets. I like to add a few drops of beet juice to increase that pink color. Why you may ask? Honestly, I just like how different it looks. The chopped beets give it a slight pink color, but the few drops of the beet juice completely enhance and transforms the look to something pretty and completely different.
Here is my recipe for Dominican ensalada de papa! You may want to have a look at my ADOBO recipe as it is used in this recipe. Pair it with some ARROZ Y HABICHUELAS CON COCO for a fabulous vegan comfort meal.
I’m happy to share that this is our recipe for El Colmadito’s ensalada de papa. So again, you can enjoy El Colmadito from the comfort of your home!
Vegan Dominican ensalada de papa (potato salad)
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Large pot
Ingredients
- 6 Large potatoes
- 5-6 Large carrots (nearly equal parts to the potato)
- 3 Medium cooked beets (canned beets work well too)
- 3 Medium sweet apples (peeled & chopped)
- 1 Shallot (finely diced)
- 1 Medium red onion (finely diced)
- 3/4 Cup Plant-based mayonnaise
- 2 TSP Adobo
- 1 TBS white vinegar
- ½ TSP caster sugar (granulated sugar works well too)
- Pinch of Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel the potato & carrots and set them to boil until tender. Usually around 20-30 minutes. Use a fork to test the potato & carrots. If the fork slides through completely they're ready. Sometimes you may need to leave the carrots on for an extra 5 minutes, but do remove the potato.
- Drain & place in a large bowl to cool until you can handle it with your hands.
- Once cool, crush both the potato and the carrots with your hands. Make sure to leave lumps & larger pieces as they will become smaller when mixing.
- Chop the beets into pieces slightly smaller than the apples & add to the bowl.
- Add the diced shallots, diced red onion, chopped & peeled apples, Adobo, vinegar, caster sugar, & half of the mayo to the bowl. Give it a good mix using your hands.
- Add the second half of the mayo slowly until you reach the exact consistency that is to your liking. Some may prefer to not use it all, some may want to add ¼ more making the total amount of mayo used 1 cup.
- Add salt & pepper to taste, mix well with your hands, and DONE!
- For best results refrigerate for at least 3 hours to cool down completely and allow the ingredients to fully combine. Best served cold.
Notes
- This salad is best served cold. If you have the time, make it the night before and I promise it'll be packed with even more flavor the next day.
- If you can't find fresh beets, use a 400g can of beets instead. Canned beets work just as good.
- If you have one, pull out the mini food processor to chop the shallots & the onion for extra convenience.
- Not a fan of using your hands? That's ok! Feel free to use a spoon. I prefer to use my hands as I find that everything combines so much better. However, a spoon does the trick too.