Potato salad days

It’s time for summer cookouts and a favorite take-along dish, potato salad, is on the menu.

I remember my mother’s traditional potato salad, a creamy, mayonnaise dish, filled with chopped green onions. She made enough to feed a small militia, so the stove would be filled with pots of boiling potatoes. Potatoes that needed to be peeled.

Mom never needed a recipe. She just knew how much of an ingredient to add and what flavors tasted best together. She cooked with gusto. I, on the other hand, always need a recipe.

Although I loved to eat potato salad, I never tried making it until this year. I wasn’t fond of the potato peeling-boiling-chopping part. It was my daughter’s intervention that informed me it was OK, in a pinch, to use diced canned potatoes. Voila, it’s an instant love affair!

My family loves the creamy potato salad (recipe below). The addition of several slices of crisp, fried, crumbled bacon right before serving enhances this dish. Substituting a couple cans of diced, drained and rinsed potatoes frees up your time.

I’ve accumulated recipes of several styles of potato salad. In the Caribbean sweet potato salad, I followed the recipe and boiled the russet and sweet potato. I found the sweet potato needed to be boiled longer and the russet less.

This is not your mama’s potato salad, but our family enjoyed the “tropical” change. The flavor combinations blend well and the sweet potato is filled with healthy fiber.

Do you like your potato salad a little spicy? Try using spicy mustard, horseradish and some ground red pepper to add some zip. Or, for a little Louisiana style, try the Cajun-Creole potato salad listed below. It’s filled with not only potatoes but also crawfish, shrimp, hot sauce and olives.

The baked potato salad recipe sets on the palate like comfort food. It includes the traditional potatoes, onions, celery and mayonnaise but shines through with a dash of bacon. It’s topped with American cheese and baked like a casserole.

Whatever your taste in potato salad, you can reduce the calorie intake by using fewer eggs and low-fat mayonnaise

Caribbean sweet potato salad
1 large russet potato, peeled and quartered
1 large sweet potato, peeled and quartered
1 cup corn
1 teaspoon prepared Dijon           mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black          pepper
1 cucumber, halved              lengthwise and chopped
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup peanuts, finely chopped
  Place russet potato pieces into a large saucepan and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil; turn heat down and simmer 10 minutes. (I found it best to boil the sweet potato longer versus the russet potato.) Add sweet potato and cook 15 minutes more. Remove a piece of each potato and cut it in half to see if it is cooked enough. Once the potatoes are tender, add corn kernels; cook another 30 seconds. Drain through a colander.

Fill the saucepan with cold water and drop vegetables into water. Cool for five minutes, and drain.

  In a large bowl whisk together mustard, lime juice, cilantro, and garlic. Slowly whisk in oil. Mix in salt and black pepper.

  Cut cooled potatoes into one-inch cubes and add to dressing along with cucumber and red onion. Toss well. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Toss the peanuts in just before serving.

Recipe source: http://allrecipes.com

Spicy mustard potato salad
5 large potatoes, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, minced
1 onion, chopped
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 cup spicy mustard
1/4 cup chives, finely chopped
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon horseradish
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Boil potatoes in large pot for 13 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and add vinegar to potatoes. Place garlic, onion, eggs, chives and mustard on the potatoes. Be sure to coat thoroughly, but do this gently or else the potatoes will disintegrate.

  Mix together mayonnaise, horseradish, salt, red pepper and black pepper together in a small bowl. Pour over potatoes and gently coat. Allow potato salad to cool before serving.
Recipe adapted from www.about.com

Creamy potato salad
6 medium round red or white potatoes (2 pounds), peeled
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 tablespoon white or cider           vinegar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 medium stalks celery, chopped (1-cup)
1 medium onion, chopped              (1/2-cup)
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
Paprika, if desired
 Place potatoes in three-quart saucepan; add enough water just to cover potatoes. Cover and heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cook covered 30 to 35 minutes or until potatoes are tender; drain. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Cut potatoes into cubes.

 In large glass or plastic bowl, mix mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Add potatoes, celery and onion; toss. Stir in eggs. Sprinkle with paprika.

 Cover and refrigerate at least four hours to blend flavors and chill. Store covered in refrigerator. Makes 10 servings.

 For a lighter potato salad use reduced fat mayonnaise and two eggs.

Recipe source, “Betty Crocker Cookbook,” new edition

Cajun-Creole potato salad
(Recipe can be cut in half if needed.)
10 pounds potatoes, chopped into medium chunks
1 cup celery, finely chopped
12 eggs, hard boiled and chopped
1 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 cups dill relish
1 pint mayonnaise
1 cup sweet relish
1/2 cup Creole mustard
2 cups salad olives, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups onions, finely chopped
3 tablespoons Louisiana hot sauce
1 pound crawfish meat coarsely chopped
1 pound shrimp, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
3 teaspoons paprika

Boil potatoes in their jackets. Let cool, then peel them and chop into medium chunks then cool completely. Mix mayonnaise, yellow mustard, hot sauce and salt together. Add potatoes along with the rest of the ingredients and fold in well.

  You can make this the day before and refrigerate it overnight which is the best way. You may need to put a little more mayonnaise in it the next day if it is a little dry. Dust the top of the potato salad with paprika before serving.

Recipe source; www.bigoven.com

Baked potato salad
3 to 4 cups diced potatoes
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup real bacon bits
1/2 cup salad dressing
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 ounces American cheese, sliced

Cook potato, onion and celery eight to 10 minutes in boiling water. Do not over cook. Drain and mix in enough salad dressing to moisten. Add salt and pepper and toss lightly. Pour into shallow casserole, top with cheese slices and sprinkle with bacon bits. Bake 45 to 50 minutes at 350-degrees.

Recipe source: www.cooks.com