Bramley Apple Potato Salad - A Somerset Orchard Potato Salad with Dill, Warm Cheddar Jalapeño Hot Links & Creamy Dressing
- inmykitchenwithyou
- 8 hours ago
- 3 min read
Nature's Larder
It's about this time of year in Somerset that Bramley apples have a habit of appearing on doorsteps .. less cherry knocking, more apple knocking. You certainly can't walk through a Somerset village at this time of year without tripping over a box of Bramley apples. Left hopefully outside a gate with a little handwritten note inviting you to take a few, they're one of my favourite signs that the seasons are beginning to shift.
This hearty potato salad is my way of celebrating that quiet generosity ... A sharp Bramley, quickly pickled before being folded through buttery potatoes, dill and a creamy dressing, finished with warm cheddar and jalapeño hot links.
They're not polished or perfect. In fact, many have simply fallen before they were ready, but that's often where some of my favourite recipes begin ... This Bramley apple potato salad started with one of those apples. Rather than cooking it, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about a Bramley ... its bright, sharp flavour and crisp bite. A quick pickle softens the edges just enough, leaving little bursts of freshness that weave their way through buttery potatoes, fragrant dill and a creamy mustard dressing.
Finished with warm cheddar and jalapeño hot links, it's somewhere between a summer potato salad and the first gentle hint that autumn is waiting just around the corner.
Bramley Apple Potato Salad - The Recipe
Serves 4–6
Flash Pickled Bramley Apple
1 large Bramley apple, peeled and cut into 5–6mm dice
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp runny honey
Pinch of fine sea salt
For the potato salad
800g red potatoes, cooked and cut into generous pieces
1 small red onion finely sliced
200ml crème fraîche
2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Small bunch of dill, chopped
Small bunch of chives, chopped
Sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
To finish
2 cheddar & jalapeño hot links, cooked and sliced
Extra dill
Freshly cracked black pepper
Method
Quick pickle the apple
Peel and dice the Bramley into small cubes. Mix together the cider vinegar, honey and sea salt before stirring through the apple. Leave for around 20 minutes before draining well.
Don't throw the pickling liquor away. A teaspoon stirred into the dressing brings everything together beautifully.
Cook the potatoes
Boil the potatoes in well-salted water until just tender. Drain well and leave to steam dry for a few minutes.
While still warm, cut them into bite-sized chunks. Warm potatoes absorb dressing much better than cold ones.
Make the dressing
Mix together:
crème fraîche
wholegrain mustard
Dijon mustard
chopped dill
Red onion
1–2 teaspoons of the reserved pickling liquor
Season generously.
Assemble
Fold the warm potatoes gently through the dressing.
Add the drained Bramley apple and mix carefully so the potatoes stay chunky.
Pile into a serving bowl before scattering over the warm sliced cheddar & jalapeño hot links.
Finish with extra dill and a generous twist of black pepper.
Jo's Kitchen Notes
The Bramley apple is the surprise ingredient. It isn't there for sweetness. It's there to brighten every mouthful and lift the richness of the dressing.
Use honey in the Flash Pickled Bramley Apple rather than sugar, because it gives a softer, more rounded sweetness than caster sugar, and it slightly takes the edge off the sharpness of the Bramley Apple.
If you're making this ahead of time, keep the warm sausages separate until you're ready to serve.
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