Japanese Potato Salad with Cucumbers, Carrots, and Red Onion

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, about 3 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
• Kosher salt
• 2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced crosswise
• 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
• 6 tablespoons homemade or store-bought Japanese mayonnaise, such as Kewpie
• 1/2 teaspoon Japanese hot mustard
• 1 small carrot, quartered and thinly sliced crosswise
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
• 1 scallion, white and light green parts only, chopped

Directions

1. Put the potatoes in a large pot and pour in enough cold water to cover them by 1 inch. Salt the water generously, place the pot over high heat, and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat so the water simmers, then cook until a fork slides into the potatoes easily, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain them, move them to a large bowl, and let them cool.
2. While the potatoes are cooling, add the cucumbers to a bowl and toss them with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let them sit for 10 minutes, then pour off any liquid in the bowl. Use paper towels to gently press out extra moisture.
3. In a small bowl, mix the rice vinegar, mayonnaise, and hot mustard until smooth and evenly combined.
4. Crush the potatoes with a masher or large fork, leaving a few small chunks for texture. Add the cucumbers, carrots, onions, eggs, scallions, and mayonnaise mixture, then stir everything together well. Taste and season with salt. Serve immediately, or refrigerate the salad up to 1 day.