My Mother's Cooking - Boiled Potatoes and Potato Salad
Boiled Potatoes and Potato Salad
My Mother's Cooking
==================
Boiled Potatoes and Potato Salad
==================
My mother probably made boiled potatoes more often than any other method. Boiled potatoes are easy to make and can be used with gravies, in soups and with creamed vegetables like cucumbers or beans. Besides, my father liked boiled potatoes and that was reason enough.
-----------------------------
If the potatoes were new potatoes from our garden, my mother would leave the skins on. Otherwise, she would peel them and cut them into chunks before boiling them. Often, she would save the leftover starchy water and use it when she baked bread. Of course, any leftover potatoes were fried for lunch the next day.
----------------------------
Particularly in the summer, when we had new potatoes and fresh vegetables in our garden, my mother would make potato salad. In the winter, when we had to buy our potatoes, she would use red skin potatoes, which are less starchy than russets and hold up better in salads.
------------------------------
I provide two of her recipes in a hubs called:
My Mother’s Cooking – Homemade Potato Salad and
German Food – Potato Salad – Kartoffelsalat
-----------------------------
There are many different ways to make potato salad. You can use salad dressing, mayonnaise, bacon fat and vinegar or extra virgin olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice. You can even make an oriental version using snow peas and baby corn and dressed with soy sauce, sesame seed oil and Chinese vinegar. Two different recipes for potato salad are provided in the next section but first here is a basic recipe for making boiled potatoes.
===================
Basic Boiled Potatoes:
===================
Difficulty:
Easy
Preparation Time:
20 Minutes
Cooking Time:
20 Minutes
===================
Ingredients:
2 Lbs. of Potatoes peeled and cut into chunks of the same size (If they are new potatoes, baby potatoes or fingerling potatoes, you can wash them and leave the skins on)
One Tablespoon of Salt
Chopped Parsley or Chives
½ Stick of Melted Butter (optional)
====================
Cooking Instructions:
- Place the potatoes and salt into a saucepan that is large enough to allow you to add water to about one inch over the surface of the potatoes.
- Bring the potatoes to a boil and gently simmer covered for about 15 minutes until they are fork tender.
- Drain the potatoes and toss with the melted butter and parsley or chives and serve warm.
- Refrigerate any leftover potatoes and fry them for breakfast or lunch the next day.
====================
Potato Salad Nicoise:
====================
Salad Nicoise consists of various vegetables on a bed of lettuce topped with canned tuna, sardines and boiled egg wedges and dressed with a vinaigrette sauce. Some people insist that only uncooked vegetables are to be used but Julia Child made hers with boiled potatoes and cooked green beans and so do I.
====================
Difficulty:
Easy
Preparation Time:
30 Minutes
Cooking Time:
30 Minutes
====================
Ingredients:
1 Head of Boston Lettuce Leaves (washed and dried)
1 Lb. of Baby Red Skin Potatoes (quartered and boiled al dente)
1 Lb. of Green Beans with the ends removed (Cooked for 3 minutes and quenched in cold water)
6 Hard Boiled Eggs (peeled and quartered)
12 Cherry Tomatoes (cut in half)
½ Cup of Pitted Black Olives
3 Scallions (cut into pea sized pieces including the green parts)
1-6 Oz. Can of Chunk Tuna (packed in oil)
2 Tablespoons of Minced Parsley
Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper to taste
1 Tin of anchovy fillets (optional)
====================
½ Cup of Vinaigrette Sauce (or more if you like)
In a small jar add ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Add the chopped scallions and shake vigorously just before using.
====================
Instructions:
- Line a salad bowl with the lettuce leaves.
- Arrange the potatoes evenly around the bowl and spread the green beans over them.
- Add the tomatoes and black olives in the center and then arrange the chunks of tuna and boiled egg alternately around the bowl
- Thoroughly shake the vinaigrette and pour it evenly over the salad.
- Attractively arrange the anchovy fillets like the pokes of a wheel and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.
====================
Oriental Potato Salad:
====================
1 Lb. of Baby Red Skin Potatoes (quartered and boiled al dente)
8 Oz. of Fresh Snow Peas (Pinch off the ends and blanch in boiling water.
1 Cup of Baby Corn (drained and cut in half lengthwise
1 Small Can of Water Chestnuts (Drained and sliced into thin rounds
1 Large Red pepper (remove the seeds and cut into ½ inch by 2 inch strips)
Salt and Pepper to taste
===================
Soy, Vinegar Sesame Seed Oil Dressing:
½ Cup Thin Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Sesame Seed Oil
2 tablespoons Chinese Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Honey
===================
Instructions:
1. Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Mix the dressing ingredients together and pour them over the mixed salad and toss lightly.
As you can see, boiled potatoes can be used to make a great variety of salads. Try adding chunks of ham, cheese, chicken, different cooked or raw vegetables and mayonnaise or vinaigrette. You can make your own designer salads. Bon Appetit!
============================================
Salad Nicoise
For additional ways to prepare potatoes, see the other sections of Chapter 6, which are listed below:
Chapter 6 – Potato Dishes
1. Baked, Roasted and Stuffed Potatoes
2. Boiled Potatoes and Potato Salad
4. French Fries and Croquettes
8. Norwegian Staples - Krube and Lefse
==============================
More of my mother's recipes
- My Mother's Cooking - Chicken Stew with Mushrooms, P...
Sometimes, when my mother cooked chicken, she would add her home canned tomatoes and peppers from the garden to make a tasty stew that could be served with rice, noodles or potatoes. We only grew green bell peppers in our garden, but now I like to us - My Mother's Cooking - Baked Ham and Scalloped Potato...
Around the holidays, my mother would bake a half a ham and she frequently served it with scalloped potatoes. Here are the easy, tempting recipes. Both can be cooked in the same oven if you have room. Remember to save the bone and ham remnants to make - My Mother's Cooking - Braised Beef Short Ribs
Growing up 60 years ago, beef and pork ribs were much cheaper than they are today. When my mother made pork spareribs she usually made them with sauerkraut and when she made beef short ribs, she braised them with various root vegetables. Here is my m - My Mother's Cooking - Baked Beans and Pork Chops
One of my fondest memories is visiting my aunt Anna and smelling the baked beans that simmered all day while our parents sat around and talked. This is my mother's recipe for homemade baked beans which is similar. If you add some pork chops while coo - My Mother's Cooking - Pork Loin Roast - Two Differen...
My mother made pork loin roast in the traditional way. She used a standing pork rib roast and seasoned it with apples, onions and thyme. By the time my wife started cooking pork roasts for us, there were boneless roasts and everyone was concerned abo - My Mother's Cooking - Potato Dumplings with Bacon an...
How to make my mother's homemade potato dumplings with bacon and onions (we just called them kluski). You literaly can't stop eating them. Grated potatoes are mixed with flour and a little salt and dropped with a spoon into boiling water. Then they a - My Mother's Cooking - Pasta Salad with Salmon
Another of my mother's meatless meals consisted of shell noodles or elbow macaroni with canned salmon and green peas bound together with mayonnaise or salad dressing. To add even more color and complexity, you can add cherry tomatoes and sliced black - My Mother's Cooking - Tuna Noodle Casserole
My mother's tuna noodle casserole recipe is both easy to make and delicious. Mushrooms, tuna, cream-style corn and shell noodles all in a tasty casserole with a parmesan cheese crust on top will make your mouth water. This one-dish meal is also inexp - My Mother's Cooking - Pumpkin Soup and Potato Soup
My mother was raised on a poor potato farm in North Central Wisconsin where her family normally ate meatless meals. In the fall, when the pumpkins were ripe in their garden, they were used to make both pies and soup. Here is my mother's recipe for pu
North Central Wisconsin where I learned how to cook
