Potato Salad (Yes, Again)

Rachel here.

The other day my mom posted about potato salad here. Unbeknownst to me before reading her post, she expected me to whip up a version of my own.

Gauntlet thrown? Check.

Challenge accepted? Instantly.

So, this weekend I made this insanely easy and fantastically flavorful potato salad. I've got a bit of a thing against mayonnaise (it's not a hard, fast rule but more of a general resistance) and so I was excited to find a recipe (in that marvelous pull-out pamphlet my mom referenced from the Food Network Magazine) that went without. It was so good, in fact, that as we speak I have potatoes boiling for another batch. I'll put some in a tupperware for a soiree we're attending this evening and leave the rest in the refrigerator for my mother-in-law when she gets in to visit later this week.

And once it's all gone? Yeah, I'll be making it again. STAT.

I made the Herb-Vinegar version (#23), but here's the total recipe list from the FNM for your mouth-watering perusal.

My only modification was using more potatoes (I think you could go up to a whole pound more. There's a ton of dressing). John and I are thinking that sometime we'd like to throw some crumbled bacon into the mix, too.

Potato Salad No. ??

Janet here:

While there is no real reason potato salad is a hot-weather food only, the reality in our house at least is that summer is when it's served. A lot. I have been a fan of potato salad since I first stuck a big spoon in a massive bowl in my grandmother's kitchen and ate it before dinner was even served. Not that surprising when you think about because it does start with potatoes and what's not to like about potatoes. (If you want my version of that recipe, just click here.)

So I was personally thrilled when my latest Food Network Magazine arrived and stuck right there in the middle of about hundred other fabulous recipes (no joke, this was one of the better issues for recipes) was a mini-book of 50! potato salad recipes. I decided then and there I would cook my way through them this summer. Rachel is going to join in too. We'll give you an update on Facebook on how that's going (and if you're not a fan, please consider joining the fun here.)

It was a no-brainer to start with the bacon-ranch version. First Ranch dressing is as ubiquitous as a dinner table condiment as salt and pepper when our sons are home, and second because, well, I use any excuse I can to include bacon in a meal. While I haven't eaten red meat in over 30 years, bacon, as regular readers know, is my downfall. I often made my kids order bacon as a side for breakfast in a restaurant just so I could have a piece. I used turkey bacon here to, you know, make me feel better but you obviously can use the real thing. Either way, it's one tasty potato salad.

While Rachel and I cook our way through potato salad heaven this summer, we'd love to know your favorite variation. Are you a red potato salad purist? Mayo-free fan? Let us know.

Bacon Ranch Potato Salad
serves a lot

ingredients
2 pounds red potatoes
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup chopped celery (I like crunch in my salad so I added more)
1 teaspoon sugar
6 slices of bacon, diced or crumbled
salt and pepper to taste

method
Boil the potatoes until just done. Rinse under cool water and when cool enough to handle, cut into cubes. (You can peel if you want; I'm a skin fan.)

While the potatoes are boiling, cook the bacon and crumble when cool. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Toss with the potatoes and serve.

Pesto Besto

Janet here: I'm in serious salad mode with the summer having arrived and at least semi-hot weather here in the Northeast. Grilling some veggies, fish or chicken outside and adding a little salad is the perfect easy dinner in the summer.

For most of my adult life, potato salad was one version and one version only: the potato salad I grew up eating and recreated once I was cooking on my own. (You can get the recipe here.)

As I've become a more accomplished cook over the years, I've realized that there are actually about a gazillion potato salad recipes out there. Here's a variation on potato salad I created this past weekend that only requires a few ingredients. It takes advantage of another summer wonder: fresh basil.

Pesto Potato Salad

ingredients
1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes
1 medium red pepper, seeded and diced
1 medium yellow pepper, seeded and diced
1/3ish cup pesto (I used some made at a local farm but if you want to make your own, try Rachel's recipe here)
salt and pepper to taste

method
Cook the potatoes for about 20 minutes in boiling water. Don't overcook because mushy potato salad is just gross. Drain the potatoes and cool until ready to handle. Cut into quarters and put in a large bowl.

Add the rest of the ingredients and toss gently. Put in the fridge to cool for at least two hours. Serve and enjoy...

What's your go-to potato salad?

Potato Salad, Take Two or Is It Three?

Janet here: Regular readers know that I have a thing for potato salad. I wrote of my love for it here, which started when I was a child and has basically continued ever since. Summer is just an excuse to eat a lot of potato salad (and ice cream, but not together of course) in my book.

Anyway, if you're looking for an alternative to the mayonnaise rendition, this one could be just what the doctor ordered. It's got a little zing, thanks to the mustard, and is ridiculously easy to make. I served it up with marinated grill shrimp and tomato mush (another fabulous Reynolds specialty coming your way soon so get excited).


Red Potato and Green Bean Salad
6 side servings.

ingredients
3 pounds of red potatoes, halved
about 1/2 pound of green beans, de-tipped and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons dry vermouth
1 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 red onion, diced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste.

method
Cook the beans in a large saucepan of boiling water for about 4 minutes. Drain and stick in iced water to stop the cooking.
Halve the potatoes and cook in boiling water until just tender, about 12 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Add the vermouth, toss and let sit for a few minutes. Whisk the vinegar, onion and mustard in a small bowl. then pour over the potatoes. Cool completely. Add the green beans and parsley. Season to taste. Can be served cold or at room temperature