It's Summertime! Bring on the Potato Salad!

It's summertime! Bring on the potato salad. You can bet that potato salad will be a choice dish at any picnic or BBQ. What makes a perfect potato salad depends upon the individual. There are generally two types of potato salad, creamy or vinegar-based. Creamy uses mayonnaise and is usually served cold. Vinegar based, sometimes referred to as German style, use cider vinegar vegetable oil and sugar. This dish is usually served hot.

Pick a Potato:

The most important ingredient in potato salad is the potato itself. Many cooks recommend using red or new potatoes as you can leave the skin on and add color to your salad. Yukon Golds are also a good choice.

Seasonings:

Whether you make creamy or vinegar based potato salad, the seasoning can be varied. Many cooks prefer cider vinegar, pickle juice, paprika, dried herbs such as basil and rosemary, and either yellow or Dijon mustard.

Additional ingredients:

Fresh fruits and vegetables such as: tomatoes, broccoli, peppers, artichoke hearts, onions, pimentos, olives, pickles, peas, and celery.
Cheeses such as crumbled blue cheese or feta.
Toasted nuts or seeds such as sunflower seeds, walnuts, or pecans.
Pieces of ham, salami, shrimp, chicken or bacon.
Other ingredients of your choice such as hard boiled eggs.

Classic Potato Salad:
• 5 pounds red potatoes, diced
• 4 eggs
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 (16 ounce) jar sweet pickles, cubed
• 3/4 tablespoon prepared mustard
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, and transfer to a large bowl.
Place eggs in a medium saucepan, and cover completely with cold water. Bring water to a boil. Cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, and peel under cold, running water. Chop, and set aside.
Stir the eggs, celery, green bell pepper, sweet pickle cubes, prepared mustard, mayonnaise, onion and white sugar into the potatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before serving.

Mustard Style Potato Salad

INGREDIENTS:
• 6 large potatoes - peeled and cubed
• 3 eggs
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 3 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
• 1 (4 ounce) jar pimentos
• 2 teaspoons prepared mustard
• 3 tablespoons creamy salad dressing
• 1 teaspoon paprika

DIRECTIONS:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, place in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth.
Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil; cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop.
In a mixing bowl, combine the potatoes, eggs, onion, celery, relish and pimentos.
Blend together the mustard and salad dressing, add to salad and mix well. Sprinkle with paprika and refrigerate until chilled