Okay...so now I sound like one of my idols...Ina Garten...Back to Basics...just no other way to post this recipe because it is a basic. But sometimes we take these things for granted...because my sister recently asked me what could she bring to a family cookout...and I told her "Potato Salad" and her response was... "I can't make a good potato salad".
So it's a quick lesson on how "I make it"...which means that you will not find any "crunchies" in my recipe...after raising kids and being a picky eater myself when I was younger; I decided as a parent to make meal time more pleasant for everyone...and omitted all raw and cooked "crunchies" aka...onions, bell peppers, celery, etc., etc. from most of my family recipes. So feel free to leave this post now if you find the "lack of" offensive...lol
Potato & Egg Salad
INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds Potatoes of Choice (we prefer Red)
6 Eggs hard-boiled, peeled and chopped
1 cup Mayonnaise (love the new Olive Oil kind)
2 tablespoons Yellow Mustard
3 tablespoons Sweet Pickle Relish
1 teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Pepper
½ teaspoon Paprika
Steamer for cooking potatoes and large mixing bowl…that’s it!
Hard-boil your eggs by bringing a pot filled with enough water to cover all the eggs you want to cook (we always do a dozen at a time and munch on them all week) to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmering for 18 minutes. Remove pan from heat and run cold water over the eggs immediately. As soon as they are cool enough to handle…start peeling them. Warm eggs peel the easiest and you don’t end up throwing egg away with the shells.
At the same time as your eggs are simmering you can start the pot for the potatoes…just fill the bottom of your steamer until you see the water in the bottom of the colander part of the pot. Turn on the burner and bring your water to a boil while you clean and peel your potatoes. Of course, if you are using Red Potatoes then you don’t have to peel them at all. If not red, I prefer peeled white potatoes for salad because white potatoes are very starchy and they stand when boiled for salad.
Note here: I peel my potatoes into a colander so that I can throw the peels in the garbage...if I had a garden and a compost pile that would be fine...but I don't...instead I have a garbage disposal that doesn't work and clogs when you put any type of vegetable clippings down it...sucks! Sorry...I digressed :}
Once the water comes to a boil, add your potatoes; make sure you’ve cut them up into equal sizes so that the whole pot cooks consistently.
(yes...some people actually do not know how to boil water unless it's in a microwave these days!)
Turn down the heat and cover and steam for 30 minutes for white potatoes; 20 for red potatoes. Just test them to make sure they are fork tender; in other words…they fall apart when the fork tines go into them easily…perfect! Not when the fork has to be “pushed” in. Drain the potatoes and set in bowl to cool.
Once cool enough to handle (I love warm German style potato salad, yum!) grab a large bowl and cut up the potatoes into cubes.
Gather together all your ingredients to mix your salad...including any "crunchies" you want to add :}
Add six chopped hard boiled eggs and the pickle relish. Top with mayo and yellow mustard and use a spatula to mix all the ingredients together.
Grab a large bowl to mix in; once salad is combined and creamy (you can add more mayo or mustard at this time to make it to your liking) you can scoop it into a smaller serving bowl.
Top with more salt and pepper to taste and paprika for some color. That’s it…eat immediately if you like it warm or chill it in the frig for later; serves 6-8 family/friends.
comments welcome