Potato Salad

[Jaymes]

one of my favorite Potato Salads is one of the easiest: it also gets eaten up fast when i take it somewhere. it has a secret ingredient where nothing else will do ( for this type of PS ) : Penzey's (original) Chicago Steak seasoning:

http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyschicago.html

the second penzeys like store does not make this the same way. this seasoning is also excellent or burgers, steaks ( ) salmon etc.

pick your favorite potato. I dont peel. you might. i like russets. cook until just done then slice into the size you want. sprinkle a

little of the Chicago Steak seasoning over the warm potatoes. green onion tops chopped fine mayo with a little more of the chicago seasoning mix this in and let it sit a bit to disolve. then mix together

you will be surprised.

Interesting about the Chicago Steak seasoning. Down here in Texas, one of the most popular items in our collective pantry is TexJoy Steak Seasoning. Many of us put it into everything - certainly including vegetables, and potato salad. I'm never without it, even having it shipped in when I lived places where it wasn't available in the local stores and markets. Like Alaska, for instance. I've never tried Chicago Steak seasoning, but think I'll order some. It will be interesting to me to see how it compares to TexJoy.

http://www.texjoy.com/

And here's a blog about southern cooking and potato salad. TexJoy is one of her required ingredients.

http://littlemagnoliakitchen.blogspot.com/2012/08/old-fashioned-potato-salad.html

[rotuts]

Chicago Steak seasoning,

i always by at least 8 oz if sealed well in glass it keeps for a bit.

try it on good quality Salmon !

[rotuts]

Ill look for Tex-joy at walmart at least they say WM carries it. looks very very interesting!

[lindag]

This is a version I did several years ago:

Caramelized onion and fromage blanc omelette with "deconstructed" German potato salad

http://kitchenseasons.com/2008/03/13/dinner-improv/

The red stuff is Chioggia beets.

Wow! Your photos are absolutely stunning!

[Jaymes]

This is a version I did several years ago:

The red stuff is Chioggia beets.

Wow! Your photos are absolutely stunning!

Yes, they certainly are. And that potato and beet salad looks so mouthwatering.

But Soba, I'm wondering why you seem only to have made it once, "several years ago."

Was it good, but not good enough to repeat? Was it too much trouble or something?

It's so spectacular-looking that, if it was as good as it looks, I'd think it immediately would have been put into some sort of regular rotation.

Even if just for dinner guests.

That it wasn't has really made me curious.

Was there a specific reason?

Or did you just move on to other things.

[annabelle]

Are those candy-cane beets? I can't get them here in Smallville. I should grow some, I guess.

[furzzy]

Jaymes -- no, I haven't since.

furzzy -- the beets are roasted, then tossed with some white wine vinegar, sea salt and black pepper and left to marinate for about 30 minutes. Since they're sweet, I wanted to provide a little contrast before assembling the salad.

Thanks. Looks like something I want to try.

[IndyRob]

I few things I've learned after making (rather well received) potato salad over the last three weekends....

Russets can work well. This is important to me since my local markets don't sell individual potatoes other than russets (I can't use a full 5lb bag). But you have to dice them first and watch them like a hawk while they cook and pull them just before they're completely done. It's similar to the al dente pasta thing.

Again, like pasta, cook them in salted water so they taste good on their own.

I would never use russets for larger batches (larger than, say, 6 servings). That would be futile exercise in flavored mash.

Eggs can be boiled along with the potatoes but, while it may be a clever shortcut which may save a pan, it imposes a timer on the potatoes, which conflicts with rule #1.

Earlier in the thread there were some mentions of deviled eggs and that made sense to me. And that's become my general concept - chopped deviled eggs with potatoes. Just enough extra mayo to coat.

Looking for an alternative to bacon (which I didn't have), I rummaged around and came up with some pepperoni slices. Minced and microwaved on a plate, I had some nice little crunchy bits and a little bit of grease. The fennel flavor from the pepperoni worked well with the lemon juice I used for the acid.

[SobaAddict70]

This is a version I did several years ago:

The red stuff is Chioggia beets.

Wow! Your photos are absolutely stunning!

Yes, they certainly are. And that potato and beet salad looks so mouthwatering.

But Soba, I'm wondering why you seem only to have made it once, "several years ago."

Was it good, but not good enough to repeat? Was it too much trouble or something?

It's so spectacular-looking that, if it was as good as it looks, I'd think it immediately would have been put into some sort of regular rotation.

Even if just for dinner guests.

That it wasn't has really made me curious.

Was there a specific reason?

Or did you just move on to other things.

linda -- thanks!

Jaymes -- it was just an idea that popped into my head. It'll probably go into a regular rotation once I move to San Francisco to be with my boyfriend -- that is, if he likes beets. We're doing the long-distance dating thing. I almost never make the same thing twice, unless I'm feeling lazy. As an aside, he's coming to NYC end of July to visit me, so I will finally be able to cook for someone even if it's only as short as one week. (And there was much rejoicing!!!)

[SobaAddict70]

annabelle -- they're Chioggia beets. any beets are fine, but if you use regular (red) beets, you'll probably want to combine them at the last minute so that the "bleeding" is minimal.

[annabelle]

Thanks. I looked them up and they don't look to require anything special as far as growing conditions. I'll put some in when it cools down this Fall.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

It's been a long time since I'd made potato salad but I was in the mood for it so I made a batch. I looked around for recipes but didn't find anything that excited me. Here is what I did:

I boiled six red potatoes in their skins for thirty minutes while making a three yolk batch of garlic mayonaise. When the potatoes were done I drained them and pulled them apart using two forks. (Somewhere in the back of my head I have the idea that one should not cut potatoes for potato salad, but I do not know where this comes from.) I poured hot salted wine vinegar over the potatoes and let them cool. Using my hands I tossed the potatoes with sliced scallions and mayonaise and refrigerated. The resulting salad was much too dry and had too much vinegar. It certainly was not creamy.

What to do? I went out and bought fresh dill. What could make my salad more creamy? Hmm. I dumped heavy cream in my iSi and used it like a fire extinguisher. Refilled and repeated. Tossed with chopped fresh dill and more scallions.

Now the salad was pretty good, but not great. The vinegar is still a bit much. How can I make my batch better?

[Snadra]

Floury potatoes, cooked until just done, then gently tossed with olive oil, lemon juice, fresh herbs and minced green onion. It's a quick salad, and can be eaten at any temperature, which makes it handy. I love the slight creamyness from the edges of the potato breaking down.

My other method is the classic-style: mayo, sour cream, dijon, boiled eggs, dill and green onion. Still delicious!

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I added much more dill and a good quantity of sour cream. Now I would call my potato salad very good. Had it tonight with the first of the tomatoes from my garden.

[Jaymes]

I added much more dill and a good quantity of sour cream. Now I would call my potato salad very good. Had it tonight with the first of the tomatoes from my garden.

Thanks for the update!

I've been thinking about you since your post above and hoped you had "fiddled" a little more with your dressing to come up with something more pleasing. So very glad to hear that's exactly what you did.

[annabelle]

Jaymes, I don't know why I never thought to cook my salad potatoes with Old Bay until you mentioned it. They are fantastic! Thank you so much for the tip!

[Jaymes]

Jaymes, I don't know why I never thought to cook my salad potatoes with Old Bay until you mentioned it. They are fantastic! Thank you so much for the tip!

I'll take the compliment! However, I think I suggested Zatarain's Shrimp & Crab Boil - which is Old Bay's Cajun cousin: http://www.amazon.com/Zatarains-Concentrated-Liquid-Shrimp-Ounce/dp/B00B040YHY/ref=pd_sim_sbs_indust_3

[annabelle]

Oops, it was Zatarain's you suggested, but I had Old Bay and figured "close enough". Mighty tasty!

[sweetstoyou]

Hi There,

I have a quickie for potato salad(kinda)...grate skinned potatoes and soak them in salt water for sometimes. Chop onions, coriander leaves and green chilies in small pieces. Soak water out of these, do the chopping just before you are going to serve. Deep fry the shredded onions in lot of oil(preferably olive oil). Add the chopped vegetables, pinch of salt and ground black pepper. Toss it and you have a quickie in your hands.

Hope this would help,

Mahek

[lindag]

"... when my mom wanted to serve potato salad with something, first she made up a big batch of instant mashed potatoes... then to it added Mayo, chopped hardboiled eggs, onions, pickle relish, celery, dash of Durkee's (she was, after all, originally a southern gal, and southern gals don't do much without tossing in a dash of Durkee's)."

I was much surprised to be able to find Durkee's sauce in a store here. I love potato salad and it sounded like an obvious addition. I love it! Even better, I tried some on my bratwurst sandwich and it was great!!!

Edited July 31, 2013 by lindag (log)

[judiu]

Hi There,

I have a quickie for potato salad(kinda)...grate skinned potatoes and soak them in salt water for sometimes. Chop onions, coriander leaves and green chilies in small pieces. Soak water out of these, do the chopping just before you are going to serve. Deep fry the shredded onions in lot of oil(preferably olive oil). Add the chopped vegetables, pinch of salt and ground black pepper. Toss it and you have a quickie in your hands.

Hope this would help,

Mahek

Are the potatoes in this raw, or did I miss something here?

[Jaymes]

Hi There,

I have a quickie for potato salad(kinda)...grate skinned potatoes and soak them in salt water for sometimes. Chop onions, coriander leaves and green chilies in small pieces. Soak water out of these, do the chopping just before you are going to serve. Deep fry the shredded onions in lot of oil(preferably olive oil). Add the chopped vegetables, pinch of salt and ground black pepper. Toss it and you have a quickie in your hands.

Hope this would help,

Mahek

Are the potatoes in this raw, or did I miss something here?

I was wondering this, too.

And, Lindag, happy you found, and like, Durkee's. Also really good in cole slaw, deviled eggs, etc.

By the way, just want to point out that I posted that recipe for my mom's instant potato salad as an example of her cooking that nobody should emulate. I loved her dearly, of course, but she was not the "cook" in our family. My father's mother was a legendary southern cook, and even owned a home-style restaurant. That's where my father learned to love the kitchen. My mother saw it as one more job that a home-maker and mother had to do: "Just get something on the table" was her motto.

Don't want anyone to think that I posted it as a great idea for somebody to copy. It's pretty ghastly.

[SobaAddict70]

And a Tunisian version:

3 potatos, boiled peeled and sliced or cubed

1 tsp of small capers, rinsed from the salt or brine

1 thinly sliced onion (or half an onion if it's large)

1 Tbsp chopped black olives

1 Tbsp finely chopped preserved lemon

1 tsp paprika

1/4 cup olive oil

Mix everything but the oil, season with salt and pepper then add the oil.

*casts thread necromancy spell and revives this thread from the dead*

I'll be making this soon, probably this upcoming weekend; new potatoes have recently come into USGM. Might pick up some preserved lemons while I'm at it.

[Jaymes]

Soba, thanks for reminding me about that Tunisian potato salad. I recall thinking that it looked very good. For one thing, I'm a big fan of capers so I'm pretty sure I'd love this version.

Potato salad season is here again. This time I'm going to be certain to give this a try. Think I might try adding some good-quality Italian tuna to make a nice lunch.

[blue_dolphin]

Soba, thanks for reminding me about that Tunisian potato salad. I recall thinking that it looked very good. For one thing, I'm a big fan of capers so I'm pretty sure I'd love this version.

Potato salad season is here again. This time I'm going to be certain to give this a try. Think I might try adding some good-quality Italian tuna to make a nice lunch.

 

Thank you,  both Soba and Jaymes  (and to Orik as well) - I enjoyed this for dinner this evening.

I had red potatos and a sweet onion from my CSA box, everything else was in the pantry.  I used more than the recipe's teaspoon of capers and just a portion of that huge onion.  And I minced the onion, rather than slice it. 

 

I was going to add parsley but decided to serve it on some CSA arugula instead.  I left the tuna on the side since I wanted to taste the salad by itself.  And, honestly, that tarantella is so lovely, I wanted to taste it on its own, too!  But it will get mixed into the leftovers for tomorrow's lunch.  I'll be curious to see how it tastes after the sitting together overnight.

 

It was at room temp when I ate it and it was delicious with a crisp Sauv Blanc.  Thank you!