japanese potato salad

hope you all had a good fourth of july weekend, or canada day, or regular ol' workday or weekend day, whichever it was. for five days i gorged myself on such delicacies as ruffles potato chips, tortilla chips and guacamole, veggie burgers, "veggie" sandwiches consisting of ruffles, tomato, onion and guacamole and the occasional iceberg lettuce shred, lots of beer and no small amount of desserts. near the end of this five day pure junk (otherwise known as vegetarian trying to fill up at meat-eaters bbq) binge i felt like i was going to blow up just like a fourth of july firework. in point of fact i did, but not quite (although almost) as colorfully, and not in public but rather in the privacy of my own privvy. too much information, no?

so in honor of this very american holiday i offer you a japanese rendition of a classic american favorite. potato salad, japanese-style.

Japanese-style Potato Salad
1 lb. potatoes (about 4 medium-large potatoes)
1 english or japanese cucumber (see directions)
1 T.+ finely sliced green onion, green and white part
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 T. mayo (for vegan use vegannaise or a homemade tofu mayo - for lowfat substitute soymilk or even water though this will affect the texture)
2 t. lemon
Salt and black pepper to taste

boil the unpeeled potatoes. while the potatoes are cooking, prepare the cucumber...if using japanese or hothouse english cucumbers you may peel some of the skin, leaving strips of green, and slice very thinly. if using the larger, more pornographic waxy variety, you'll probably have to peel it, slice it in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and then slice very thinly. place the sliced cucumber into a small bowl, adding about one teaspoon of salt and toss. this is to expel some of the water so as not to make your salad, ugh, watery. thinly slice the green onion and set aside. once the potatoes are soft, remove the skins and mash. i use a potato ricer. if you like some chunks you can mash some of the potatoes and cube the rest. i prefer it smooth, like the back of a hairless man. rinse the salted cucumber with water and squeeze. place the potatoes, cucumber and onion, mayo, lemon juice and mustard in a bowl and mix together. add lemon, salt and pepper to taste, garnishing with more green onion.