This is the dish you bring to a cookout this summer to really freak people out.

I had kimchi potato salad at a place in my neighborhood recently that randomly serves breakfast food but also Korean food. It’s a niche market for sure.

But when my options for a side were potato chips or kimchi potato salad how could I not try this?!

If you’re wondering what kimchi is…

Kimchi is basically Korean sauerkraut. It turns out the Germans have not cornered the market on fermented cabbage. It’s typically pretty spicy but also has that tang you get from the fermentation process. It’s REALLY good for you (especially if you’re on the Brain Maker diet) and adds a lot of flavor without adding calories.

Now we’re also adding mayonnaise so this isn’t exactly health food, but whatever.

Kimchi Potato Salad

4-6 red potatoes, chopped

16 oz jar kimchi*

2-3 scallions, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sesame seed

*I had a hard time finding kimchi at my regular grocery store, but it turns out there’s an Asian market just a couple blocks up the street from me. It was in the refrigerated section, though I’ve also seen kimchi sold in cans in other places, including Amazon.

Chop up the potatoes and place in a sauce pan. Fill with cold water to about an inch over the potatoes. Bring to a boil, and cook for 15-20 minutes (depending on how big your potato chunks are) until cooked through. Drain and rinse with cold water, and refrigerate.

Chop up the kimchi. In a large bowl, combine with the potatoes, cilantro, scallions, mayo, and sesame seeds. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

We also bought sesame seeds at the Asian market (they were crazy cheap- under $2 for a relatively big bag). I realized once we got home that they were uncooked- so we had to boil them and then toast them. It was pretty high maintenance work but you know how I feel about the markup on those McCormick jars.

Reserve some extra scallions, cilantro, and sesame seeds for garnish if presentation is your thing.

The GS has been spoiled because I actually forgot to do this and he was all like “where’s the garnish?!”

I served this with some chicken that I just brushed with gochujang (keeping with the Korean theme) and broiled.

Like most potato salads, this gets better the longer it is chilled. So I would recommend making it in advance especially if you’re entertaining with it. It’s a 2-in-1 side dish: you’ll be feeding the belly and the brain.