Potato Salad Recipes
Potato salad is a dish that is synonymous with summer cook outs and parties, but really it's great year-round. It's always a crowd pleaser at potlucks and pairs well with so many dishes from fried chicken to burgers to steak to baked ham. It seems like everyone has his or her own special potato salad recipe, and I love trying out new ones!
A few tips when making potato salad:
1) Use waxy potatoes for potato salad. I tend to prefer red potatoes, but Yukon Golds work really well, too.
2) Don't bother to peel the skins off; boil the potatoes with the skin on. They will add extra nutrients.
3) Add vinegar to the potatoes as soon as they are boiled and chopped. They will absorb it quickly and be even more flavorful
4) Use oil-based dressings (or those that use mustard) if you are concerned about keeping potato salad out in the warm weather. Save mayonnaise-based dressings for inside meals.
Here are two of my own personal favorites:
Dilly Potato Salad
Note: The measurements on this aren't totally exact (I don't really measure the mayo and sour cream when I make it, I just eyeball it), so please alter the recipe to your taste. Also, this is really best if you start the recipe the night before.
Ingredients:
4-5 medium red potatoes
3-4 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/3 cup diced red onion
1/3 cup mayo
2/3 cup sour cream
2-3 tbsp. dill weed
1 tbsp. parsley
The night before:
1. Boil potatoes for about 15 minutes, until tender but firm.
2. Rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.
3. Remove skins (easily done by rubbing with a tea towel) and slice (egg slicer makes this easy) or chop into large chunks.
4. Put potatoes in a large Ziplock bag and add red wine vinegar. Allow to sit in fridge overnight.
The next day:
1. In a large bowl, combine mayo, sour cream, red onion, dill, and parsley. Mix well. Add salt if you want it.
2. Add potatoes and mix gently.
3. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before enjoying.
Blue Cheese Potato Salad
4 small-to-medium red skinned potatoes
4 slices of bacon
1 1/2 oz crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp white vinegar
2 dollops of low-fat sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1) Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
2) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool, and chop, leaving skins on.
3) In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, red onions, salt and pepper. Add the potatoes, bacon, sour cream, and cheese and toss to coat.
And here are links to some rather exotic-sounding potato salad recipes that I found. I haven't tried them, but they sound tempting:
Southwestern Style Potato Salad
Yukon Gold Potato and Artichoke Salad
