4th of July Potato Salad

Spend some time on the internet reading up on potato salad, as I did on this 4th of July morning, and you will find that it is a topic of great passion and debate. You will find recipes that say not to use russet potatoes but the comments below will be full of people who swear by using russets. You will find great debates on whether the best potato salad should be creamy, mayo-based or should it be made with a vinaigrette. You will find that people can be almost religious about their mayonnaise (Hellman's, Miracle Whip, Best Foods). And everyone's mother, grandmother or Nana made "the best" potato salad.

Potato salad is simple and versatile but, in the end, we all want the potato salad that we all grew up with. So I went with a basic mayo-based potato salad. But in my research I did pick up a few tips/tricks:

When boiling the potatoes, start with cold water that is well salted. The potatoes will absorb some of the salt improving their flavor.

As potatoes are cooling, splash a little red wine vinegar over them. Again, they will absorb some of the flavor and it will add a nice contrast to the starchy potato flavor.

Because you will be working with mayonnaise, make sure the potatoes are not hot as you are mixing the ingredients.

Look, as I did, at a number of recipes and create your own with the ingredients that grab you.

4th of July Potato Salad (Updated)

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. potatoes - I used two different types of fingerling potatoes
• 1-2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 3-4 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup of relish or chopped pickles - I diced up a half of a friend's spicy pickle
• 4 coarsely chopped hard boiled eggs
• 1 generous tablespoon yellow mustard
• Mayonnaise to desired creaminess
• Salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. white pepper
• 1 tsp. celery seed
• 1/4 tsp. garlic salt
• Red wine vinegar
• Paprika

Directions:

• Start ahead of time by making the eggs. Cover them completely with cold water and then bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, turn off heat and let eggs sit in the hot water for 10-12 minutes. Remove and let cool. This can be done a few days ahead of time. Or hard steam them.
• Scrub the potatoes clean. 
• Cover them with cold, salted water and bring to a boil. Let potatoes boil about 7-8 minutes for smaller potatoes and up to 12 for large russets. Test with a knife to reach the right consistency.
• Drain potatoes into a colander and lightly drizzle the potatoes with a splash of red wine vinegar. Let cool for at least 10 minutes.
• Chop potatoes into cubes. Peels on or off--that's your choice.
• In a large bowl combine all ingredients adding mayonnaise last. Start with 4-6 tablespoons. Stir to mix well. Add mayonnaise a teaspoon at a time and stir to mix until you get to your desired consistency.
• Spoon the potato salad into a serving bowl and garnish with a few pinches of paprika.

Happy Summer!

Leek and Potato Day

The leeks have been coming at us with a steady pace from the box. They were piling up in the fridge, so today was a day of action. Get through those leeks! It started with:

Potato and Leek Frittata

 

This frittata could have been just a basic leek and potato frittata but I also added some leftover ingredients to help clear out the fridge

• Get some herbed butter melting in a professional medium skillet (one that can go directly into the oven)
• Preheat oven to 400 degree
• Peel some potatoes, dice them, and get them started in the skillet. I used 3 medium red skin potatoes that came in the box
• Clean and slice the leek and add them to the potatoes and butter
• Chop up some onion or shallots
• Chop up a leftover Tofurky sausage
• Dice a leftover bell pepper half
• Toss everything in the skillet with the potatoes and leeks
• Add some salt and pepper along with some Foxpoint Seasoning
• Add some freshly chopped basil
• Crack four eggs into a bowl and mix well along with some parsley and black pepper and a generous splash of milk
• Add egg mixture to the skillet
• Let it start to set on the fire for about 5 minutes or so
• Sprinkle the top with some cheese. I had some leftover feta
• Transfer to the oven and cook until the top begins to brown. Around 15 minutes.
• Remove from the over and let it cool for a few minutes
• Quarter the frittata and serve 

The evening focused on a new soup that we think we saw in a Sunset magazine. It's a healthy and tasty take on the potato and leek soup that has no cream but uses spinach "making it a beautiful electric green and good for your waistline."

It was a tasty soup and definitely one I'd make again. It's quick, easy, and healthy.

Spinach, Leek, and Potato Soup 

 

Ingredients:

• 2 large leeks
• 2 tablespoons of butter or herbed butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups broth
• 1 large golden or white potato - I used the last 4 red skin potatoes from the box
• 1 8 oz bag spinach
•  Croutons - optional

Preparation:

• In a saucepan melt butter over medium heat
• Add leeks and salt and cook until limp stirring often, about 5 minutes
• Peel and dice potatoes and add to pan
• Add broth and bring to a boil
• Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork
• Add spinach and cook until wilted
• Puree with an immersion blender

Final score: 4 leeks gone; 1 still to go.

Potato Salad with Capers and Olives

Here's a lesson in "mellowing" versus "marriage." We were recently invited to a dinner party and I was asked to bring a side. Given that the main course was going to be a bouillabaisse,  I looked for something Mediterranean as well as something that would complement the fish stew. I finally settled on the recipe below because the ingredients screamed traditional and European/Mediterranean. With the recipe description using words like "assertive" and "bold," I knew it would stand up against the bouillabaisse. The recipe said to "let the flavors mellow for 30 minutes prior to serving." So I timed it so that I finished the salad just prior to departure. It "mellowed" for the 20 minute ride to the host's house and then another hour as we had our appetizers.

Driving away from the dinner party, I wasn't real happy with the results. I undercooked the potatoes slightly but that's an easy fix for next time. The main complaint I had was that the flavors just didn't incorporate. "I won't be adding this one to the blog," I thought. I brought home the leftovers, put them in a storage container, and put them in the fridge.

Twenty four hours later, this was a completely different salad. Suddenly, it worked. The ingredients coated the potatoes and they took on new flavors. So the lesson learned is that with potato salad you need enough time to let the potatoes absorb the flavors, to let the diverse ingredients intertwine and become one.

The recipe originally comes from the San Francisco Chronicle Cookbook which has become one one of my "go to" cookbooks. The recipe was a little vague at times so I've added some details to the ingredients and instructions. I doubled this one since I was going to need more than the six servings this recipe provides.

Potato Salad with Capers and Olives

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. unpeeled white potatoes (I used yellow potatoes since I couldn't find white)
• 1/2 cup boiling potato water
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup lemon juice or white wine vinegar (I used a lemon from the box)
• 1/3 cup olive oil (maybe some truffle oil, too?)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
• 4 oz. jar capers, drained and rinsed
• 4 oz. Kalamata or Gaeta pitted olives, roughly chopped
• 4 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Prep all of the ingredients except the potatoes first.
• Boil the potatoes in plenty of water. Watch carefully and test them often. A toothpick should easily pierce the potato. 8-12 minutes to put you in the ballpark.
• When the potatoes are done, remove them and transfer them to cold water. Keep the water boiling.
• When cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes, chop them into large chunks, and transfer them to a large serving bowl.
• Add the 1/2 cup of boiling potato water to the potatoes.
• Add the remaining ingredients and gently toss with large spoons.
• Cover the bowl and let it mellow at room temperature for an hour or more.
• Stir it up some more and then refrigerate overnight.
• Bring it out of the fridge and let the temperature come back up stirring often prior to serving.

Leek, Potato, and Bean Soup

We got a single, large leek in the box this week. Whenever I see 2-3 leeks my mind immediately goes to my vegetable broth where leeks are an important ingredient. But this was just one leek and it was going to be a busy week. We also received 1.5 pounds of Yukon potatoes and then I thought that potato-leek was a very common soup combo. So I went to work. I adapted an Alice Waters recipe in The Art of Simple Food using the ingredients I had on hand and this is was what opened tonight's meal:

Ingredients:

• 1 large leek
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 2 sprigs of sage (original recipe called for thyme. I happened to have some extra sage on hand so I used that instead. Be creative.)
  
• 1 large bay leaf
• Salt
• 1 pound of Yukon yellow potatoes, peeled and quartered
• Cannelli beans (I used some home-prepred beans but 1 can of commercial beans will do. More on the homemade beans later.)
  
• 5 cups water or broth (Tonight I used TJ's vegetable broth from the pantry)
  
• dried parsley as garnish
• black pepper to taste

Procedure:

• Trim off the root and green end of the leek
• Slice thinly and soak in water to clean
• Drain and dry sliced leeks
• In a medium pot melt butter and add leeks with bay leaf, herbs, and salt
• Cook for about 10 minutes until leeks are soft
• As leeks cook, peel and quarter the potatoes
• Add potatoes and cook for 4-5 minutes until coated
• Add broth (or water)
• Bring to a boil and then turn to simmer for about an hour until the potatoes are soft enough to mash on the edge of the pot with a wooden spoon
• Allow to cool, remove bay leaf, herb sprigs, and puree the soup with a hand blender
• Add cannelli beans and stir in freshly ground black pepper
• Let simmer for 10-15 minutes
• Add a pat of butter and garnish with dried parsley
  

Serve with good crusty bread and wine.