This chouriço potato salad is made with Goan-style chouriço sausage, paneer cheese, fingerling potatoes, pumpkin seeds, and lime juice. It’s like no other potato salad you’ve ever experienced.
Adapted from Nik Sharma | Season | Chronicle Books, 2018
I love salads that can be served in any season, at any time of day. This one is great for breakfast with a couple of fried eggs or in a taco or by itself for lunch. It’s bursting with flavor from my Goan-style chouriço.–Nik Sharma
☞ Contents
Chouriço Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces store-bought or homemade Goan-style chouriço
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes halved lengthwise, or yellow potatoes, diced
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh chives
- 1/4 cup crumbled homemade paneer* (or substitute queso fresco or Cotija)
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves plus more for garnish
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 lime quartered, for garnish (optional)
Directions
- If you purchased the chouriço, remove it from the casing and break the meat into small pieces. If using homemade chouriço, portion out 8 ounces (227 g) and break it into small pieces.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the potatoes and sprinkle with the salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are just tender but not cooked through, 10 to 20 minutes, depending on their size.
- Sprinkle with the chipotle chile powder and paprika and stir to coat. Add the chouriço and cook, stirring frequently and reducing the temperature if necessary, until the sausage is browned and cooked through, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Add the pumpkin seeds and cook for 1 minute more.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and dump the contents into a large bowl. Let cool for 5 minutes.
- Gently stir the chives, paneer, cilantro, and lime juice into the warm potatoes.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve warm or at room temperature with lime wedges, if desired.
Notes
*What can I substitute for paneer?
If you don’t want to make it yourself, there are a few decent subs for fresh paneer. Often called Indian cottage cheese, paneer is a fresh, non-melting, acid-set cheese made by curdling and pressing buffalo or cow milk. A common substitute when you want a chunky texture (like in potato salad) is firm tofu but feta or halloumi cubes work really well, too. You can also use cottage cheese but that consistency works better in soups or stews.Show Nutrition
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Recipe Testers’ Reviews
When I saw the name of this recipe, chouriço potato salad, I thought it was a traditional potato salad with chorizo in it. Boy was I wrong! It’s so much better than I thought it would be. After reading through the recipe, I knew it was anything but traditional. I’m not a fan of mayonnaise potato salad, so this was a great recipe for me. And my husband loves chorizo and potatoes, so it was something I knew I had to make.
It was a 2-day process to make it. One day to make the chorizo and cheese and the next day to put it together. As hard as it seems to make chorizo and cheese from scratch, I had most of the ingredients on hand. And the directions were very easy to follow. Once everything came together, I couldn’t stop eating it. Even more, I couldn’t wait to throw in some eggs with the leftovers for breakfast. It was an all-around great recipe.
I used apple cider vinegar. At first, I thought it was too much vinegar and I was afraid it would turn out too vinegary. But I guess it cooks out because I couldn’t taste any vinegar at all.
I let mine rest overnight for at least 24 hours. I used the remainder of the chorizo to add to the eggs. It has a nice spice.
I couldn’t find fingerling potatoes anywhere, so I used yellow potatoes and cut them to the size of fingerling potatoes. I’m not sure if it’s because of the size of my potatoes but they took closer to 20 minutes to cook. Next time I’ll cut the potatoes smaller.
Everything came together so easily and with the cheese and pumpkin seeds, the flavors were amazing. The cheese helped break down the spice of the chorizo. The pumpkin seeds added in a nice little crunch.
It’s even better the next day. I easily got 7 to 8 servings out of it. I will definitely be making this again.
This chouriço potato salad brings a ton of fresh flavor to the table and certainly has a novelty factor. I chose to make the Goan-style chouriço, which when cooked was reminiscent of the flavors (and texture) of a Thai Larb salad. Be patient with the potatoes, it does take them a while to cook but it’s worth it…though you could roast them in the oven, tossing once or twice, for an approach with less supervision.
Also, keep in mind homemade paneer is NOT interchangeable with the vacuum-packed store-bought version. I made that mistake so you don’t have to! Homemade paneer is crumbly and fresh like queso fresco, so make sure to use that or Cotija if you don’t have the time to make the fresh cheese. Absolutely will make it again and want to try a variant with Mexican chorizo, Cotija cheese, and grilled corn.
HUNGRY FOR MORE?
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Christiana Hart
I will find any excuse to put a fried or poached egg on a dish. So when I saw this recipe for chouriço potato salad, I was 100% on board. I’d never had (or heard of) chouriço before, so this recipe was a great adventure of ingredients and a combination that was totally new.
This was a great recipe. I used homemade paneer although I added much more cheese than was called for. I felt it needed the extra creaminess, especially the first time I tried it without an egg. I used homemade chouriço. My chouriço fell apart when I cooked it so I might add an egg next time to bind it.
The second time I made it with sweet potatoes, I added avocado slices and pan-fried some cherry tomatoes. Delicious!
If this is a main dish, 4 servings sounds accurate. If it’s more of a side dish, it might serve closer to 6. I used the leftover paneer the next day on tacos.