I had a potato convergence last week. There were potatoes in my community-supported agriculture (CSA) box; we have a share at Foxtail Farm. A friend gave me some potatoes from her grandmother's farm. We visited our CSA farm and got to dig potatoes. All of a sudden, I had a LOT of potatoes. Fortunately, I also had a potluck to attend, and a potato salad would be perfect to bring.
But which salad? My grandmother's recipe calls for potatoes, onions, and hard-cooked eggs. This didn't use the bounty in my CSA box to its maximum, so I checked my favorite food sites. There were several salads to choose from, but Roseanne Cash's Potato Salad perfectly fit the bill. It called for items I already had, plus its kitchen-sink approach meant I could throw in anything else I thought would be nice, like green beans. It produced a cool, crunchy salad for a hot summer evening, and got many compliments. I realized later that it's basically my grandmother's recipe with pickles, dill, and green beans. I suspect it's similar to a lot of people's grandmother's (or father's, or mother's, or aunt's, etc.) potato salad. What is your go-to potato salad recipe?
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Roseanne Cash's Potato SaladRosanne Cash’s Americana Potato Salad, adapted from Smitten Kitchen
(Serves at least 8) This is an adaptable recipe, and can easily incorporate different amounts or items you have on hand. Be creative. Grated carrot, chopped radish, or diced tomato all would work well.
Ingredients:
3 pounds medium red or yellow potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed
1/2 pound green beans, ends snapped off
8 dill pickle spears coarsely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 celery stalks, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 small red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled, chopped
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until fork-tender, about 30 minutes. During the last few minutes, add the green beans. Drain and cool.
2. While potatoes cook, use a small bowl to mix mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, and dill with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Cut potatoes into chunks and transfer to large bowl. Chop greens beans into thin rounds or bite-size pieces. Stir in pickles, celery, onion, eggs, then gently fold in dressing to coat. Top with green beans. Can be served chilled or at room temperature.
To make ahead: Prepare vegetables and dressing, then store separately a day or two in advance, assembling before serving.
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Kristin Boldon is a frequent contributor for Simple Good and Tasty, who also writes for the Eastside Food Cooperative's newsletter on health and wellness, Minnesota Monthly's food blog Dara & Co., and for her own blog Girl Detective. Her last post for us was "Kindred Kitchen: Nourishing Foodie Dreams in North Minneapolis."
