Old-Fashioned Potato Salad
Nowadays, potato salad often seems to arrive with all sorts of “new” ingredients, which might be tasty, but just don’t evoke the simple dish you remember. For those of you who think old ways are often the best ways, here is a recipe that makes nearly everyone reminiscent about family picnics and grandmother’s potato salad.
Ingredients:
- 3 lbs. red-skinned potatoes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 3 Tbs. white wine vinegar
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tbs. whole-grain mustard
- 4 stalks celery, finely diced
- 4 green onions, white and green parts, chopped
- 2 Tbs. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions:
Place the unpeeled potatoes in a large saucepan, add salted water to cover by 1 inch, cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Set the lid askew, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook at a brisk simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Drain, then rinse the potatoes under cold running water until they are cool enough to handle.
Cut the potatoes into chunks about 1⁄2 inch thick and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the vinegar. Let cool completely.
In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise and mustard. Add to the potatoes along with the celery, green onions and parsley and mix gently. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours. Serve chilled. Serves 8.
Variation: If you like hard-boiled eggs in your potato salad, by all means, add them. The same goes for chopped dill pickles or bread-and-butter pickles—you can even use pickle juice in place of the vinegar. You can also cook baking potatoes instead of red-skinned ones. They fall apart more easily, but some folks like that.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Comfort Food, by Rick Rodgers (Oxmoor House, 2009).