Potesara sando, or potato salad sandwich, is a staple snack sold in convenience stores across Japan. It’s creamy, sweet, and tangy, and texture-wise, similar to an egg salad sandwich. This recipe is all that and includes lots of salt brined cucumber for a nice crunch!
I love a good Japanese potato salad sandwich when I need a quick morning or afternoon fix. It’s just filling enough to keep me satiated until the next meal, and I love the tanginess and fruitiness of rice vinegar paired with crunchy salty sliced cucumbers. It’s also a great alternative to egg salad sandwich on days when I prefer not to eat eggs.
While the classic Japanese potato salad sandwich comes with thick and fluffy milk bread, I like to make mine using bread that’s a bit more nutritious. I find that Japanese potato salad goes well with any type of bread, including flaky croissants and dark rye.
Table of contents
Ingredients for Potato Salad Sandwich
- Potatoes: Regular russet potatoes will do for this recipe. Or, if you like your salad to be a little sweeter, Yukon Gold potatoes are really delicious!
- Carrot: The carrot adds sweetness and a vibrant pop of color.
- Cucumber: My favorite part of the salad! It’s dry brined for a short amount of time to soften the slices and give them a light salty taste.
- Rice vinegar: The secret behind the fruity and tangy taste of the salad lies in the use of rice vinegar. Make sure it’s unseasoned plain rice vinegar.
- Mayonnaise: Kewpie mayonnaise to be more precise. For an authentic Japanese potato salad, Kewpie mayonnaise is the only type of mayonnaise that can be used. It’s sweeter, fruitier, and eggier than regular mayonnaise.
- Sugar: A little sugar to punch up the overall taste of the salad.
- Salt: Half of the salt is used to dry brine the cucumber slices while the other half is used to season the salad.
- Bread: To make a classic Japanese potato salad sandwich you will need milk bread, also called shokupan. But as I mentioned before, it’s okay to use pretty much any type of bread as I’ve seen it sold in many different forms across Tokyo and other cities in Japan. I used rye mugi bread when I shot this recipe.
How To Make Japanese Potato Sandwich
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe.
Start by boiling the potatoes and carrot. Drain them well and let them cool down in the fridge.
Next, dry brine the cucumber slices by salting them and leaving them for 15 minutes. Rinse them, gently squeeze the slices, and pat them dry to remove as much water as possible.
Make the Japanese potato salad by mixing the potatoes, carrot, cucumber, kewpie mayonnaise, rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and black pepper.
Scoop about a quarter of the potato salad and place it on top of a slice of bread. Spread the mixture and top with another slice of bread.
Slice the crust off and cut the sandwich in half. Serve.
Recipe Tip
Don’t over mash the potatoes. Just like with egg salad, potato salad is better and holds better in a sandwich when it’s a little chunky.
Add a piece of lettuce on both bread slices if you are planning to eat the sandwich later. This keeps the bread from getting soggy, creating a wall between the slices and the potato salad. Make sure that the lettuce is dry before adding it. Using sliced cheese also works well.
Frequently Asked Questions
This happens when the vegetables haven’t been properly drained. Make sure that your potatoes and carrots are well drained before adding them to the bowl. As for the cucumber slices, take your time squeezing as much water out as you can before adding them to the bowl.
Yes you can but I strongly encourage you to substitute it for something else instead. That’s because both the cucumber and carrot add depth of flavor and texture to the salad. I recommend using thinly sliced celery (dry brine it the same way) instead of cucumber, and kabocha squash or green peas instead of a carrot.
What to Serve With Potato Salad Sandwich
In Japan, a potato salad sandwich can be anything from a snack, a meal, or even a dessert. People love it that much! How I like to eat mine depends on my mood, really. It makes a delicious snack and is just filling enough when I am hungry but not starving. And I sometimes serve it as part of a lunch or dinner, together with small sides, izakaya style or picnic style.
Some of my favorite dishes to serve with this sandwich are:
- Miso soup
- Vegetable potage
- Green salad with carrot ginger dressing
- Furikake fries
- Edamame with soy and sesame sauce
- Easy vegetable egg rolls
I also love to eat this sandwich with an iced matcha latte or a boba tea. Perfect for a lazy summer afternoon at home watching tv or reading a good book!
Other sandwich recipes you might like to try: Tempeh katsu sandwich, tuna salad sandwich, cucumber sandwiches with tzatziki sauce, jackfruit bbq pulled pork sandwich, California veggie sandwich.
Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
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Japanese Potato Salad Sandwich
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes passive time
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 sandwiches
- Category: Sandwich
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Japanese
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This potato salad sandwich is creamy, sweet, and tangy, and texture-wise, similar to an egg salad sandwich.ย
Ingredients
- 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped bite size
- 1/2 Japanese cucumber or 1 small kirby cucumber
- 1 teaspoon plain rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup kewpie mayonnaise or regular mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 slices of milk bread, sandwich bread, or any other type of bread
Instructions
- Boil some water: Fill a medium size pot with water and bring it to a boil.
- Boil and drain the potatoes: Add the potatoes and boil for 5 to 6 minutes, until the potatoes are tender but not mushy. Drain the potatoes and transfer them to a mixing bowl.
- Boil and drain the carrot: Fill a small pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add the carrot and boil for 3 to 4 minutes, until tender but not mushy. Drain and add them to the potatoes.
- Refrigerate: Place the bowl in the fridge and refrigerate until the potatoes and carrot have cooled down (about 10 minutes).
- Slice the cucumber: Slice the cucumber in half lengthwise and remove the center part (the seeds) with a small spoon. Finely slice and transfer the cucumber to a bowl.
- Dry brine the cucumber: Sprinkle ยฝ teaspoon of salt over the slices and gently toss them using your fingers. Let the slices brine for 15 minutes.
- Rinse and squeeze the cucumber slices: Rinse the cucumber slices under cold water and gently squeeze them to remove any excess water. Pat the slices dry with a paper towel.
- Make the potato salad: Half mash the potatoes and carrots, leaving some chunks, using a fork or potato masher. The mixture should be half chunky and half mashed/creamy. Add the sliced cucumber, rice vinegar, kewpie mayonnaise, sugar, remaining salt, and black pepper. Mix well with a spoon until all the ingredients are combined.
- Make the sandwiches: Spread a quarter of the mixture onto a piece of bread and top with another piece of bread. Repeat this step 3 more times.ย
- Cut the crust off: Cut the crust off each side of the sandwiches. Slice the sandwiches in half and serve.
Notes
Storage: If you are planning to eat the sandwich later, I suggest keeping the potato salad and bread separate otherwise the bread might get soggy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 sandwich
- Calories: 430
- Sugar: 7.1g
- Sodium: 1050mg
- Fat: 22.7g
- Saturated Fat: 3.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13.3g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 49.4g
- Fiber: 4.7g
- Protein: 7.6g
- Cholesterol: 11.6mg
