David Ross

About two weeks ago I made a Salad Nicoise, with potatoes and of course included tuna. So given our discussion, does the Salad Nicoise fall into a potato salad category? Or, would it be considered a seafood salad, or a vegetable salad with tuna or a tuna salad. Do potato salads have to be exclusively potatoes as the main ingredient, then garnishes like capers, pickles, eggs and bacon? Or should we look at potato salads in a broader sense?

Well my Mother surely wouldn't have let me toss the salad with my hands, even if they were washed or I wore gloves. That aside though the recipes look delicious.

I've got about 100 of these little booklets. They're wonderful, kitschy fun.

From my collection of vintage cooking booklets, the 1958 Good Housekeeping Book of Salads. Some unique potato salad recipes, including Potato Salad with Creamy Sauerkraut Dressing and "Madison Avenue" Potato Salad. Not sure what ingredient elevated this potato salad to be worthy of the Madison Avenue title.

This sounds delicious.

I was just wondering about a sweet potato salad.

I think my Mother sometimes put dill relish in her potato salad, but maybe my Grandmother used sweet relish.

I first came up with this potato salad about 20 years ago. I was bringing a dish to a company summer party and wanted something different to put on the table next to all the tubs of supermarket potato salad. But I knew it might not be much of a favorite, or even have any takers since the group tended to not have adventuresome tastes. It was a hit and I make it every year. When I first made it I had never really looked into making mayonnaise from scratch. Once I learned how to make it quickly with a blender I've been making my homemade mayonnaise ever since. Adds more flavor and creaminess to potato salad over Best Foods, but I do still keep a jar in the fridge. I used baby red potatoes, add whatever herb I have on the patio, this time marjoram, French green beans, Kalamata olives and capers.

Sounds delicious and I'll have to experiement myself with the vinegar and sugar mixture. I've seen some recipes where you toss the potatoes in vinegar and sugar while they are still hot after boiling.

When I think of Potato Salad, I think of my mother and paternal grandmother. Summer picnics and backyard parties are the first memories that come to mind. But I came to realize that not all potato salads are the same. My grandmother kept her recipe basically the same. Usually russet potatoes off the ranch and farm she and my grandfather owned in Central Oregon. She would add mayonnaise, out West "Best Foods" was her mayonnaise of choice if she didn't make it from scratch. She would add a bit of yellow mustard, some vinegar and chopped canned pimentos. (Today we'd do something she would have called "fancy" and add fire-roasted red peppers). Sometimes Grandma would add chopped, hard-boiled eggs to her potato salad. My mother was more adventuresome with her potato salads. She usually used Russets since she grew up in Idaho potato country and my grandfather had a small business that sold burlap sacks to potato farmers. On occasion she would use "new potatoes," either red or white. We didn't have potatoes called "baby" or "fingerlings" back then. Sometimes she added chopped dill pickle, hard-boiled eggs or diced celery. If my father had his way, she would make his potato salad with Miracle Whip. I wouldn't touch the Miracle Whip potato salad. One thing my mother and grandmother always agreed upon was the potato salad had to be on ice in the metal ice chest so the mayonnaise wouldn't spoil and make us all sick at the picnic. Mother didn't limit her potato salad cookery to the summer months. In Fall and Winter she made a hot German potato salad and served it with sauerkraut and German sausage we bought from a German butcher in a small farming town. She boiled russet potatoes and cut them into thick slices. The dressing was made by frying bacon, then draining the bacon and crumbling it into bits. Into the skillet with hot bacon grease she added onions and apple cider vinegar and tossed the potatoes with the hot dressing. Instead of diced celery she seasoned the salad with celery seeds and lots of cracked black pepper. It seems as though potato salads are uniquely tied to family, yet cross borders in terms of variations and ingredients. Let's join together and share our family memories, present old favorites and create some new variations of potato salad. See the complete eG Cook-Off Index here: https://forums.egullet.org/topic/143994-egullet-recipe-cook-off-index/

We have lots of examples here in our Schnitzel Cook-Off, https://bit.ly/2PSe8gY

That sounds delicious thanks! I happened to see a recipe yesterday for a rhubarb upside-down cake which looked and sounded delicious.

looks delicious and just the right quenelle shape, now if I can only master pike quenelles......

When I was a kid and we went to a "fancy" restaurant, there was always that relish tray with celery sticks.

This is an interesting vintage menu from Expo 74. Union Pacific ran a special train to Spokane for the opening of Expo. The site was built downtown, and unfortunately, the city leveled the railroad depots and tracks that ran through that area. The only thing still standing is the historic clock tower next to one of the depots. Although by the 70's dining on trains was in steep decline, for a special menu this isn't bad. I think I got this at a local estate sale. Estate sales are a great resource if you collect old menus.

Thanks I knew about the quenelle shape but this is very helpful

Thanks I actually have a Zyliss so will bring that out, and yes, the tell tale finger imprint.

This is a rare souvenir that my Mother saved from the Lipman Wolfe Tea Room Restaurant in Portland. Lipman Wolfe was one of the iconic Portland department stores for decades, ultimately being bought by the Frederick & Nelson chain. My Mother and her folks regularly traveled to Portland to visit her cousin and shop in the big downtown stores. Mother was born in 1924, so this menu is probably dated in the early 1930's.

What is the best technique for getting that perfect scoop shape? So it doesn't have the divots like mine? Is there such a thing as a non-stick scoop you use? After forming the scoop do you freeze it to hold the shape? I need some help with mine.

A bit of a melted mess since I didn't properly scoop the ice cream, but delicious nonetheless. Chocolate Malt Ice Cream Sundae. With Pineapple Caramel, Spiced Pineapple and Macadamia Nut Tuiles. Makes a great shake too.

That is a delicious stock.

I do discard it or sometimes save it to put in steamed rice, but you could add it back.

One of my favorite quick pickles, Sweet and Sour Cucumbers. I'll use both fresh cucumbers from the farmer's market in summer and cucumbers in the fridge that are just starting to look a bit wrinkled. 1 large cucumber 3 tbsp. chopped cilantro 2 tsp. honey 2 tbsp. rice vinegar 1 tsp. sesame oil ¼ tsp. each salt and black pepper 2 tsp. Vietnamese fried garlic Peel strips from the cucumber using a citrus zester. Then cut the cucumber into 1 inch chunks. Cut each chunk into quarters lengthwise. Place the cucumber chunks into a bowl and add the cilantro. In another bowl, mix the honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the cucumbers. Place the cucumbers in a container with a lid and refrigerate until ready to serve. When you're ready to serve, place the cucumbers in a bowl and garnish with fried garlic.

Wow those are beauties especially that bigger fish. The ratio is about what I use. For trout I like the brine more salty than I do for the scallops I showed upthread. That is going to be delicious.

Hello. I've had a similar preparation of spot prawns just like you describe. I like the Wild Alaskan recipe, but I've again had them like you describe. For me the texture of the spot prawn is firm and I really notice how sweet they are in a ceviche style like you mention with lime, garlic, fish sauce and chili, (and just a dash of lite soy sauce). The first time I had them was years ago when there was a restaurant named Sensi in Bellagio. They were live in tanks and they simply prepared them sauteed them with a little olive oil, then salt and pepper. I don't remember the garnish or anything on the plate other than those delicious spot prawns. They are really a delicacy up here in the Pacific NW.