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Salt...Sodium...Spectacular Seasoning of Summer!

If I raise a few dietary eyebrows here, I apologize.  I am not being paid by Big Salt to advertise.  However, let's face facts and acknowledge that salt is elemental and essential to the entire human race.

Even at the expense of libeling my mother's sacred potato salad recipe.

I begged my mother, about a decade and a half ago, for her recipe.  Potato salad can be a laborious dish to make, and so I knew that whenever she did make it, it was for a special occasion...probably to welcome my new fiancé (and later husband) into the family. 

Or to apologize for the family.  Whatever.  It's irrelevant.

And she laboriously copied it down for me onto a notecard (long before email here, folks) and I lovingly placed in my personal cookbook.  Where many years would pass until I'd pull that card out and make it myself.

And now that I think about it...I do not recall the last time I made it.  In fact, I cannot recall with any amount of certainty that I ever have made it.  Even after I begged her for the recipe.

Well, there.  One of my secrets is out of the bag.  Luckily, my mom does not read this blog.  I don't think she does, anyway.  Don't any of you here put her wise.  Ignorance is bliss!

I can now gladly say, though, I do know the last (and first, as it were) time I made her Creamy Potato Salad.  Last night, and it was consumed today.


 The recipe itself is good.  Combine 2 stalks celery, 1 medium green pepper, 1/3 of a onion (all chopped) with 1 tablespoon of vinegar, 2 teaspoons of mustard (I used dry), 1 teaspoon of salt (not enough), 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, and 1 1/4 cup of mayonnaise (my mom's old school, though, she specified 'salad dressing').

Then, cut up 6 medium potatoes, and cook until al dente.  Hard-boil 6 eggs and chop.  Mix potatoes and eggs into dressing, and toss (or fold) together until all potatoes are coated.  Let sit six hours or overnight (which I did).

However, I simply can't let well enough alone.  I upped the amount of pepper and it was just right.  I also went with more salt, but it wasn't enough...next time I'd go with a whole tablespoon.  The vinegar was pretty detectable, almost too much so, and so next time I'd change that to a 1/2 tablespoon.  You can also probably tell by the above picture that I added dill weed, which definitely is a keeper.

I think I will need to continue playing with this recipe.  It's good, but it definitely could be better, you know?  Kinda of reminds me of being an adult in general...things seemed really, really good when you're a kid...but then you grow up, and it changes.  Or you've changed.  Or the potatoes have changed.  Hard to say.



Comments

  1. Exactly the way my mother made it when I was a kid, same volumes right down the line.

    ReplyDelete

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