It’s taken me a couple of days to write this post about potato salad simply because I’ve just been too busy eating the potato salad. I made a big bowl of it the other night to go with our grilled pork chops, and I’ve got to say that it was a really good move.
I’m not a big potato salad maker. I don’t do picnic food so much, and I’m still truly learning the wonders of mayonnaise. But quite honestly, of all of things that I can do on a whim to make Joey happy, potato salad is probably in the top five. And so, a few times in our marital history, I put together a potato salad, and then I’ve basked in the glow of the love that follows. But the surprise here is, I don’t care what kind of horrible potato goo experiences you’ve had- if you do it right- potato salad is one of the best things there is, really.
And it’s art, too. This is your opportunity to use everything in your fridge and everything in your garden. Hell, use your weeds if they’re edible. Play with color, texture, go wild. (Somehow I feel like I should be embarrassed about encouraging you to “go wild” with potato salad, but I’m not!)
So how do we do it right? Well, sky’s the limit. But how you cook the potatoes is really going to count, so let’s start there.
For a nice bowl of potato salad, you’re going to want about 3 lbs potatoes. Go for the red ones, scrub them and keep the skins on. Boil them in salted water for 20-30 minutes, until they’re nice and tender, then take them out and let them cool. Then cut them into chunks.
Now for the rest- like I said, this is creative territory here, and I’m not going to limit you with a recipe. I will, however, tell you what I put in my salad this week:
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
2 large ribs celery, chopped
3 T capers
1 large dill pickle, chopped
flat leaf parsley
dill
chives
whole grain mustard
mayonnaise
sherry vinegar
salt
fresh ground pepper
Now the best thing about making potato salad is that you have to taste it, constantly! Start with a little mayo, a little mustard, a little vinegar. Keep going in small increments until you’ve got it perfectly.
Your art is done… bask in the love.
