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- Pairing the warm potatoes and melty cheese with fresh watercress gives this salad a nice contrast of temperatures and textures.
- In addition to the spicy greens, the dish gets a hit of acid from homemade quick-pickled shallots, which are infused with allspice and juniper.
- The spiced vinegar used as the pickling brine then becomes the base for the salad’s tangy mustard vinaigrette.
For this satisfying salad, Suzanne Goin steams potatoes then pan-fries them until golden, tossing in slices of Fontina at the very end so they get deliciously melty. Zingy watercress and quick-pickled shallots help cut the richness and keep the dish light enough for a first course.
Why use imported Fontina?
This style of cow-milk cheese is made domestically, but Goin recommends using an imported Fontina, ideally from Italy. The Alpine cheese has DOP status in the Valle d’Aosta, in the part of northeast Italy that borders Switzerland and France, where it has been made for 800-plus years. Italian Fontinas tend to be harder in texture than those made in the U.S., with a nuttier, earthier flavor that’s difficult to replicate.
Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen
The pickling spices for the shallots include whole juniper berries; though less common than the other ingredients, they are sometimes available in grocery stores and can also be ordered online.
Suzanne Goin
2025-10-24 14:02:00