The late Mr. O-P and I disagreed on potato
salad. He liked potatoes thinly sliced, while I liked mine cubed and chunky.
You would not believe what a big issue this was in our household, so much so,
that it got to the point where he bought the kind he liked at the local market,
and I didn’t eat any at all.
With the heat of summer already upon us, striking us dead in our
tracks in early May, I’ve been thinking about barbecued ribs, corn on the cob,
and potato salad. These dishes, along with a delicious wilted slaw, were things
that my mother would make in the middle of summer. She would serve it to us
with tall glasses of sweetened iced tea. As a consequence, this is one meal
that just says “summer” to me. So today, I was thinking about potato salad,
trying to remember what she put in hers and came up with this one on my own. As
far as I can tell, the only thing lacking here are radishes, and I didn’t
include them because I didn’t have them.
I made it super easy on myself by using a package of Melissa’s Parisian Pre-Cooked Potatoes, a potato that can seriously change your life. Because I always
feel that warm potatoes absorb more of the saucy goodness (This may be true,
this may not be. This is not a topic that I have seen covered on “Myth
Busters.”), I did blanch these for about two minutes in boiling water, drained
them, and then cooled them only slightly (and by this I mean not at all), before
cutting them into cubes. Using pre-cooked potatoes made this dish a breeze!
Plus, the potatoes are so tender, buttery, and delicious, perfect to soak up
all of the tasty ingredients in the sauce. If you can’t get your hands on these
potatoes, well, complain mightily to your grocer, but in their place you can
use an equal amount of Baby Ruby Gold Potatoes, cooked until fork tender and cubed.
Not Quite My Momma's Potato Salad
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup Duke’s mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons sweet pickle juice
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 sweet-pickle chips, diced
3-4 large hard-boiled eggs, diced (Extra for garnish, if
desired)
½ cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Paprika
Bring a large saucepan full of water to a rapid boil; add salt.
Drop potatoes into the boiling water and heat through (1-2 minutes); rinse,
drain, and slightly cool.
Meanwhile, whisk together mayonnaise, pickle juice, mustard,
vinegar, sugar, and salt and pepper, to taste, in a small bowl; set aside.
In a large bowl, toss potatoes with pickle chips, eggs, celery,
shallot, and parsley. Add dressing and eggs to potatoes and toss to coat. Season to taste with more salt and pepper, if
desired, and then fold in dressing.
This gets better if refrigerated overnight. To serve, dust with paprika, and top each
serving with an egg slice and pickle chip.
If
you prefer a more German-type of potato salad, you will love Miss Hulling’s German Potato Salad from a local landmark
restaurant.
You
can get more of Miss Hulling’s delicious recipes here:
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Summer Garden Pasta
