"My mother makes the best potato salad." If you are like me, and you just can't compete with your mother's potato salad, then do as I do. I simply took her recipe and made it my own. I just added a few little extras to make it mine. The key ingrediant in this recipe is the Colman's mustard. It tastes like a hot Chinese mustard with a little extra something and a little less sharp. You can find it in all major grocery-stores in the Irish or English International section. Sometimes you can find it in the mustard section. You can buy it in the powdered or the ready-made form. I suggest the ready-made. It gives the whole dish a little extra kick. If you can't find it, use the Chinese mustard in half the amount with Dijon mustard.

To accompany your great potato salad, I suggest some sirloin-burgers spiked with some jalepenos and loaded with jack-cheese, a baby-green salad with Good Season's dressing, sweet gherkins, and Cape-Cod potato chips. Top this off with some cold Bud-lite beer spiked with lime. Add some party-music and a bunch of screaming kids in a slip and slide and you're all set for a great time.

Enjoy at your next backyard barbecue!

INGREDIENTS:

5 lbs. new or red potatos (waxy potatoes)

4 hard-boiled eggs

2 stalks of celery

5 radishes

1/2 tablespoon of red wine vinegar

1 cup Hellmans Real mayonnaise

2 tbsp. Coleman's Irish mustard

or 1 tablespoon Chinese hot mustard and 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 scallions

DIRECTIONS:

1. Wash the potatoes and place in a large pot covered with water. Bring to a rolling boil. Cook until fork-tender. Drain. If possible, cool overnight in a cool place. Cover with a tea-towel during cooling. Peel and cut the potatoes and put into a large bowl.

2. Chop two of the hard-boiled eggs and add to the potatoes. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper. Wash and dice-chop the celery . Scrub the radishes and slice very thin. Thinly slice two scallions. Add the vegetables to the potatoes and eggs.

3. In a mixing bowl, whip the vinegar, mayonnaise and mustard together with a whisk, and fold into the other ingredients until they are evenly coated. Keep the salad chilled until it's time to eat. Marinate Just before serving, sprinkle generously with paprika and freshly-ground black pepper. Garnish with snipped scallions, thinly-sliced radishes, and sliced eggs.

Serves 10 to 12.