Potato salad with ramen eggs

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Begin with the ramen eggs. Prepare a large saucepan full of water and bring it to a rolling boil, then lower in the eggs. If you are using fridge-temperature, medium eggs, cook them for 7 minutes exactly. If yours are large, cook them for 7 minutes and 20 seconds; if they’re small, cook them for 6 minutes. If you keep your eggs at room temperature, cook them for about 20 seconds less. When the timer’s up, remove the eggs with a slotted spoon, then chill them quickly in cold (ideally iced) water

2. Step 2

   Peel them and soak them in the soy sauce, mirin, dashi and vinegar for as long as you can – they’ll marinate most evenly in a plastic bag, but any container will do, so long as the eggs are submerged. They’ll pick up the flavour after about 2 hours, but they’ll be way, way better if you leave them overnight

3. Step 3

   Wash the potatoes and cut them into big chunks, about 3cm, thick, similar to how you would prepare them for roasting, but with the skins on. Place in a saucepan and cover with water, then bring to the boil and cook until fork-tender, about 10–12 minutes. Drain well and leave to dry out and cool completely, then remove their skins

4. Step 4

   Meanwhile, cut the cucumber and carrot in half lengthways, then slice them very thinly (no more than 2mm thick) into little half rounds. Sprinkle them with a generous amount of salt, massage it into the vegetables, then leave them for 30 minutes to tenderise

5. Step 5

   After 30 minutes, rinse them well under cold running water to remove the salt, and squeeze out any excess liquid

6. Step 6

   Dice the cornichons and cut the ham into thin strips

7. Step 7

   Stir together the mayo, dashi powder or MSG, mustard, salt, pepper and garlic powder, if using. With a fork or sturdy whisk, mix the mayo mixture into the cooked and cooled potatoes somewhat violently – you want to break up the potatoes and half-mash them to give the salad a fluffy, creamy texture

8. Step 8

   Mix in the cucumbers, carrots, cornichons and ham, then taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking

9. Step 9

   Break or chop the ramen eggs up into coarse chunks and scatter them over the salad. Top with chopped chives and serve