Creamy-Scallion Potato Salad | Cup of Jo

At this time of the year, I love to prepare lemon potato salads and I am always looking for new variations. So, I was excited to make this creamy potato salad of Mehreen Karim’s new cookbook, Do it based on plants! South.

“The recipes in my book are classic: stews, shoemakers, cakes and cookies) and express the cultural influences that I know is part of the southern cuisine,” says Mehreen, who was born in Alabama and went through Texas, Kentucky and Tennessee until his family settled in Georgia. She grew up enjoying southern food with Bengali flavors. “The South is one of the most densely populated places for immigrants and refugees, and there is a prosperous culinary tradition based on plants within the food of the soul.”

What makes this potato salad the next level are crispy potatoes, which are baked, not boiled. “It is worth it,” says Mehreen. “The potatoes become perfectly crispy, and roasted onion add a true taste of flavor.” A Arce syrup splash balances miso and onion in the creamy mayonnaise.

And if you want to turn the salad into a main dish, you could also throw white beans and any fresh green that you have on hand.

Creamy ESCICTA PAPA SALAD
of Do it based on plants! South

You will need:
6 onions, trimmed
1 ½ pounds (675 g) Baby Yukon gold potatoes (since they are sweeter than small red or purple potatoes)
2 tablespoons of olive oil 2 teaspoons of Kosher salt
1 package (16 ounces/450 g) soft silk tofu
2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon of neutral oil 1 tablespoon of white miso
1 tablespoon of arce syrup
½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes

Preheat the oven at 400 ° F (205 ° C). Fore a large baking tray with aluminum foil. Place 4 of the onion on one side of the prepared bakery tray. Finely reduce the remaining 2 onion and reserve to decorate.

Wash and dry the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into 1 inch pieces (2 cm) and add them to a large bowl. Add the olive oil and 1 teaspoon of salt and stir to cover. Extend the potatoes along with the onion on the baking tray. Put the mixing bowl to the side (to avoid washing it twice!). Bake the potatoes and onion for 30 minutes, turning the potatoes with a spatula once in the middle of the oven. Remove from the oven when the potatoes are golden and the onion are brown and withered.

Using tweezers, transfer roasted onion to a food processor or blender. Add the tofu, the lemon juice, the neutral oil, the miso, the arce syrup, the remaining salt of salt and the red pepper flakes and mix for 1 to 2 minutes, until it is completely soft. Try salt and acidity and adjust to your preference, if you know too salty or sour, add more oil or maple oil or syrup.

Transfer the potatoes and ½ cup (120 ml) of the chives sauce to the mixture and mix to combine. Decorate with reserved onion and serve.

Save the potato salad in a hermetic container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Save the rest of the onion sauce in a hermetic container or a bottle tight for up to 1 month. It is a great sauce or seasoning to have by hand.

Mehreen, thank you very much! In addition, Mehreen shares 14 favorite things in Big Aval.

Ps eleven readers share their reference recipes and a trick for better summer salads.

(Emma Fishman’s potato salad photo. Muhreen Karim photo by Kelsey Cherry. Extracted from Make It Based Southern by Mehreen Karim. Copyright 2025 by Mehreen Karim. Reprint with permission from Workman Publishing. All rights reserved).