Melon, Feta, Cucumber and Mint Salad with Spanish "Papas Aliñadas" Potatoes

And a nifty way to cut your potatoes so they never fall apart again

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Yet again, I’m sat in Wales looking out at the rain. It’s also 14 degrees Celsius out there.

But for once, I’m grateful for the cool. The rest of the Northern Hemisphere, it seems, is in the grips of an unprecedented heatwave.

This is not the time to turn your oven on for dinner. Even if you’re not in the heatwave epicenter.

Which means it’s time for another salad. A tried and tested, been-in-my-rotation-for-years salad. One of those salads about which food writers say things like everyone tells me how much they love this salad.

Because for once, it’s true. Everyone seems to love this salad, so far without exception.

A food tour friend once dubbed a burger on one of her stops the CrackBurger™ on account of its addictiveness. This could easily be called the CrackSalad™, if you were amenable to calling it such a thing.

The concept is easy. Melon, feta, mint. Cucumber if you have it. Plenty of good quality olive oil.

I’ve played with plenty of variations over the years — you’ll find them in the usual variations section.

But man cannot live off salad alone which is why I paired this with the southern Spanish dish papas aliñadas, a sort of turbocharged potato salad that is served in nearly every tapas bar in Andalucia. I’m also going to teach you a Spanish technique for cutting potatoes called cracking that avoids mushy, unevenly cooked potatoes.

I finished this summer feast off with some pork chops which can be easily substituted for any protein of your choice. Again, check the variation section for plenty of ideas.

You could grill the pork chops outside if you have the means. Your oven will be left off entirely. And if the CrackSalad™ works true to form, you’ll be one happy — if hot —human being.

To make this dish sing, use the best extra virgin olive oil you can find and afford. You will taste the difference.

The quality of the feta makes a huge difference to this dish. Try and find the proper stuff, not just the "white salad cheese.” The tangier the better.

The ripeness of the melon isn’t much of a concern here. Personally, I like it when it’s just underripe enough to still have texture but is starting to reveal its sweetness.

Use any kind of cucumber you like — English, Persian etc.

Papas aliñadas is a cold dish. Many tapas bars will make huge quantities that last a few days so don’t be afraid of making it in advance and leaving it in the fridge to develop its flavours. Often, tapas bars will use fearsome amounts of olive oil until the potatoes swim in it. For reasons of costs (EVOO isn’t cheap) and frankly, health, I’ve dialed back the olive oil. But you do you.

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This salad works because of balance.

It’s your classic sweet, savory, salty, textured combo.

If you’re going to swap out ingredients, think about what they’re bringing to the dish in terms of those profiles.

Feta = salty / acidic.

Melon = sweet.

Cucumber = savory and crunchy.

For instance, you could swap the feta for ricotta but ricotta is far less tangy than feta. You could balance that by adding a squeeze of lemon juice or grating lemon zest on top.

Melon is sweet but not in a cloying way. If you were going to swap, look for sweeter vegetables like peas, carrots, or tomatoes.

The variations section has plenty of ideas for making successful substitutions.

Serves 4

For the salad