A Big Little Recipe has the smallest-possible ingredient list and big everything else—flavor, creativity, wow factor. Psst: We don't count water, salt, black pepper, and certain fats (specifically, 1/2 cup or less of olive oil, vegetable oil, and butter), since we're guessing you have those covered. Today, we’re getting cheesy.
At its most pared-down, pimento cheese calls for jarred pimentos, grated cheese, and, most crucially, a lot of mayonnaise. But most recipes rarely stop there.
This Genius one from Parker and Otis in Durham, N.C. calls in celery salt. Food writers Matt Lee and Ted Lee toss in cream cheese and chile flakes. Southern Living prefers Worcestershire sauce, grated onion, and crunchy pecans. Chef and cookbook author Sean Brock opts for Tabasco, cayenne, smoked paprika, and pickled ramps (!).
Not only does everyone seem to have their own version, but some have multiple ones. Chef Ashley Christensen relies on red bell peppers for the pimento cheese at her modern diner Poole’s, but enlists poblanos at her fried chicken oasis haven heaven Beasley’s. Why not, right? Pimentos shouldn’t get to have all the fun.
Whether you swear by Duke’s or Hellman’s mayo, yellow or white cheddar, hot sauce or chipotles, vinegar or not, I have a hunch that you’d agree, at the very least, that pimento cheese does not involve...boiled potatoes.
Or does it?
Sure, pimento cheese is traditionally treated as a dip or spread—for crackers, crudités, or tucked between squishy bread as a sandwich—but it would be a shame to limit something with so much potential. Which is why you’ll find pimento cheese reimagined as everything from a biscuit to a soufflé.
But perhaps the most natural use of this cheesy, creamy spread is in some of summer’s greatest hits: mayo-based salads. Think: potato salad, macaroni salad, even coleslaw. In all of these dishes, you make a mayo-based dressing, then stir in the main ingredient, be it potatoes, elbow pasta, or shredded cabbage. So, what if said mayo-based dressing was actually (also mayo-based) pimento cheese?
Suffice to say: Spuds have never been happier. The rest of the recipe is classic-ish. We’ve got sharp cheddar and mayonnaise (thoughts on brands? Oh, I have lots). But no pimentos, which I stand by. Which seems to defeat the whole purpose, I realize, but there’s more precedent for this than you’d think.
Instead, I use Peppadews, a hot-sweet pickled pepper native to South Africa. Besides their snappy crunch and happy color, Peppadews come with their own vinegary brine, a bonus Big Little ingredient. If you don’t have or can’t get ahold of peppadews, pickled cherry peppers would make a convincing stand-in. Or go ahead and roast some bell peppers or poblanos, jar them, and shake in whatever vinegar is around.
Team this salad up with grilled chicken breasts or pork chops, griddled tofu steaks or veggie burgers, sausage sandwiches or salt-and-pepper ribs. You tell me.
| 3 | tablespoons kosher salt, plus more to taste |
| 2 | pounds red or Yukon potatoes, cut into 1½-inch chunks |
| 1 | (14-oz) jar hot Peppadew peppers, drained and vinegar reserved |
| 1/2 | cup mayonnaise |
| 1/2 | pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated |
| 3 | tablespoons kosher salt, plus more to taste |
| 2 | pounds red or Yukon potatoes, cut into 1½-inch chunks |
| 1 | (14-oz) jar hot Peppadew peppers, drained and vinegar reserved |
| 1/2 | cup mayonnaise |
| 1/2 | pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated |
Put down those long grocery lists. Inspired by the award-winning column, our Big Little Recipes cookbook is minimalism at its best: few ingredients, tons of flavor.
Order now
Written by: Emma Laperruque
Popular on Food52
3 Comments
Join The Conversation