Autumn in September is still hot for some reason. The moody sky brings down heavy rain. After the downpour, the sky remains cloudy and gloomy, leaving you feeling a bit downcast.
Even at times like these, when I feel the cool breeze coming through the window, the light filtering through the gaps in the clouds, and hear the birds singing, I think that the moody autumn sky isn't so bad after all.
Speaking of autumn, mushrooms are a must-have. Although they are now readily available at supermarkets, large wild maitake mushrooms are still available, and they have a great taste and aroma. Today, we'll use mushrooms to make everyone's favorite potato salad.
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First, loosen the maitake mushrooms with your hands and split the mushrooms in half. Splitting the mushrooms by hand gives them a more natural texture and tastes better than cutting them with a knife.
Next, cut the salami into strips. You can also use bacon, but salami has a more mature feel and is perfect for this recipe. Thinly slice the onion and soak it in water. Soak the dried porcini mushrooms in water. Adding porcini mushrooms gives the dish a more luxurious feel, which is great.
This time, both potatoes and mushrooms are the main ingredients, so I used a lot of them. As with any mushrooms, if they are a little damp, lightly drying them in the sun will enhance the flavor and make them even more delicious. 
Cut off the soiled part of the mushroom base with a knife, then split it by hand in the same way as maitake mushrooms, so that it is about the size of a quarter.
Boil the potatoes until you can easily pierce them with a bamboo skewer, peel them, and while they are still hot, add salt, black pepper, and olive oil and mash them while mixing.
You might be worried that there's too much olive oil, but there's no point in adding too much. The aroma of this makes it even more delicious with the mushrooms.
Once the potatoes have cooled, add the drained onions and mayonnaise and mix. Honestly, this is delicious on its own.
However, since the main ingredient this time is mushrooms, heat olive oil in a frying pan, add the maitake mushrooms and mushrooms, and fry until browned. Actually, it would be more accurate to say "grilled" rather than "fryed," turning them over without touching or moving them too much.
This will remove excess water and intensify the flavor and aroma. Add salt, salami, and porcini mushrooms with their soaking liquid, and fry until the liquid has evaporated. Add capers, red wine vinegar, and brown sugar, and fry for about a minute.
Grill the mushrooms over high heat. The most important thing is to never stir them. Just like grilling meat, grill one side first, then the other. This way, the temperature of the frying pan won't drop and the moisture in the mushrooms will evaporate. 
The final addition is red wine vinegar, rather than white wine, to evoke the feeling of autumn. The summer heat is still lingering, and the tart aroma combined with the pickled capers really whets the appetite.
Top the potato salad with plenty of mushrooms and serve.
It is paired with "Ouka," a shochu mixed with soda that has an orange blossom scent. When combined with the sweet and sour red wine vinegar used to fry the mushrooms, the gorgeous aroma stands out even more.
This combination will make the dull autumn sky stand out, so be sure to give it a try.
Porcini hot potato salad and orange blossom-scented shochu "Ouka" mixed with soda
Ingredients (for 2 people)
・Maitake mushrooms...1 pack
・Mushrooms...1 pack
・Dried porcini mushrooms...5g
・Salami...20g
・Onion...1/4
・Potatoes...3
・Capers...2 tablespoons
・Red wine vinegar...1 tablespoon
・Cane sugar...a pinch
・Mayonnaise...70g
・Salt...1/4 teaspoon
・Black pepper...a little
・Olive oil...2 tablespoons
How to make it
1. Loosen the maitake mushrooms with your hands and split the mushrooms in half with your hands. Thinly slice the salami. Thinly slice the onion, soak in water for about 15 minutes, and squeeze out the water. Soak the dried porcini mushrooms in water (4 tablespoons).
2. Boil the potatoes with the skin on until a bamboo skewer can be inserted easily (25 minutes), then peel them.
3. Put 2, salt, black pepper and olive oil into a bowl and mix while mashing. Allow to cool, then add the onion and mayonnaise and mix. (If you fry several types of mushrooms and dried porcini mushrooms at this point and put them in a blender, you will have a fragrant potato salad for adults.)
4. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil (not included in the recipe) in a frying pan, add the maitake mushrooms and mushrooms and fry until browned, sprinkle with 2 pinches of salt (not included in the recipe), add the salami and dried porcini mushrooms with their soaking water, and stir-fry until the liquid has evaporated.
⑤ Add capers, red wine vinegar, and brown sugar to ④ and stir-fry for about 1 minute.
⑥ Place the potato salad from ③ in a bowl and top with ⑤.
The drink paired with this dish is Miyazaki Prefecture's sweet potato shochu, "Ouka." It's delicious on the rocks, but it also makes a great soda mix for the lingering heat of summer. Mixing this gorgeous shochu with soda brings out its aroma even more. It also pairs well with the sweetness of the potatoes. Alcohol content: 25%, price: 1,749 yen (according to editorial department) / Kuroki Honten
