5 Potato Salad Recipes for Summer Holiday Picnics

Summer holidays - Memorial Day, July 4^th and Labor Day - are traditionally the peak season for picnics, and potato salads are a staple of any great picnic celebration. They're simple, easy to transport, and delicious! Here are five recipes for fresh takes on this summer standard. Be sure to use harder, waxy potatoes to avoid a mushy salad.

Family tradition potato salad

• 2 pounds new white potatoes, cut into large cubes
• 3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
• 1 small yellow onion chopped
• 1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 1 cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip salad dressing
• Paprika

Boil the potatoes until tender. In a large bowl, combine with eggs, onion, pepper and celery. Add in mayo to desired consistency. Sprinkle entire bowl with paprika.

Red, White and Blue Potato Salad

• 4 pounds red potatoes, quartered
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 1/4 cups sour cream
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
• 1/2 pound blue cheese, crumbled

Boil the potatoes until tender. Place in a bowl and coat with white wine, plus salt & pepper to taste, and allow to cool. Add in remaining ingredients and serve.

Apple & bacon potato salad

• 3 pounds small yellow Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered
• 5 strips bacon, fried to crisp and chopped (reserve bacon fat)
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and diced
• 4 green onions, thin-sliced on a diagonal
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Boil the 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped

Boil the potatoes until tender. Fry the onion in the bacon fat until soft and brown at the edges. Remove from pan with slotted spoon and place in a bowl with apple chunks. Add potatoes to the bowl, then mix in the green onions, olive oil, vinegar, mustard, and thyme. Salt and pepper to taste and serve warm or cold.

Greek potato salad with feta

• 2 pounds peeled and cubed red potatoes
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil (extra virgin)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup pitted and halved kalamata olives
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 small green pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
• 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• Salt & pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes until tender. Whisk together the wet ingredient - plus oregano, salt and pepper - combine with the warm potatoes and allow to cool. Mix in the olives, cucumber, pepper, onion, feta and parsley, and serve.

Cajun potato salad

• 2 pounds red potatoes
• 1/2 cups red onions, chopped
• 1/2 cups green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 lb smoked kielbasa or andouille sausage, sliced
• 6 tablespoons cider vinegar, divided
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Boil the potatoes until almost tender, slice. Place in a bowl and mix with onions, parsley and 3 tablespoons of the vinegar. Brown the sausage in oil in a skillet, remove with a slotted spoon and add to the potatoes. Bring the 3 remaining tablespoons of vinegar, mustard, garlic and pepper to a boil in the skillet with the leftover oil, whisking constantly. Pour over potato and sausage mixture, toss and serve.