Tomorrow is the official start of summer, which means…. potato salad season! Most families have their own adaptation (as do we!), but maybe you want to try something new, healthier, quicker or classic?! I’ve seen dozens of p-salad posts across the e-universe over the past couple of weeks, and here are a few I found that are worth checking out:
The recipe that got me started on this potato quest was “Garden Potato Salad,” posted on facebook by The Food Network, it was the addition of cucumber that caught my fancy.
If you are just starting out, Cooking Light is featuring 5 Potato Salad recipes, and one being “Potato Salad 101.”
Chow.com is sporting an article, “Perfect Potato Salad, Five Creative Takes on this Classic Side Dish” with a very unique “Marinated Purple Potatoes.”
I think we can trust Better Homes and Garden with a “Classic Potato Salad.”
Tyler Florence can introduce you to “The Ultimate Potato Salad.”
A food blogger that I enjoy following, Heidi, at 101 Cookbooks, has a great “Grilled Potato Salad Recipe.” Her game plan: throw as many of the salad ingredient as possible on the grill, whip up a simple vinaigrette, toss and enjoy.
Then I happened upon “The World’s Easiest Potato Salad” using fresh thyme leaves, this sounds like it is right up my alley.
I found an interesting twist at huggingthecoast.com, from the folks at Serious Eats, “Grilled Sweet Potato Salad.”
My family is partial to our grandmother’s potato salad. What made it unique was her homemade French dressing that she mixed in. Our cousin, Lori Neely South would help Granny make large batches of potato salad, the recipe was never written down, but Lori was familiar enough with the ingredients that she was able to figure out the ingredients for our Holm Family Cookbook. The recipe calls for five pounds of potatoes and serves a crowd of about twenty. For Easter and the Fourth of July, Granny always used twelve to fifteen pounds of potatoes.
An excerpt from Granny’s diary read: “July 4, 1971. Nice day. Up at 6 to make 14 lbs. salad. Dick over to lay fire sprinkler, etc. Rich took me over to put oilcloth on tables, etc. G & Ben not here. 90 of us, very good day, home about 9.”
4th of July at the Circle H Ranch, original painting by Tilli Calhoun
Granny’s Potato Salad
Serves about 20
- French dressing
- 1 cup salad oil
- 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Spice Islands paprika
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
Salad
- 5 pounds red potatoes, cooked and peeled
- Salt and pepper
- 5 stalks celery, finely chopped
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- Best Foods mayonnaise
- Miracle Whip salad dressing
To make the dressing, combine the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, salt, paprika, and dry mustard in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Cover and shake well.
Thinly slice about 3 potatoes and put them in a mixing bowl. Add a dash of salt and pepper, sprinkle with the dressing, and mix well. Add approximately a 1/4 cup of the celery and 1/4 of the red onion; mix again. Add approximately 3 heaping tablespoons of the mayonnaise and 2 heaping tablespoons of the Miracle Whip salad dressing; mix again. Transfer this batch to a large mixing bowl. Repeat this same process until all the potatoes are used, being sure to mix the batches together as they are added to the larger mixing bowl.
Chill for 1 to 2 hours before serving.
This recipe and many more can be found in The Holm Family Cookbook. If you don’t have your own copy, you can purchase it right now at https://shop.wentevineyards.com/SHOP.AMS?LEVEL=BOT&PART=8713 ” target=”_blank”>wentevineyards.com!
Enjoy our long-awaited summer!
Nancy