jay wrote:
I am lighting up the pit this weekend and want to make some potato salad to
go with the BBQ. I have never made potato salad that was very/any good.
Does anyone have some tips that may help or a recipe that they are proud of
that is not German style? I looked at google and searched the archives of
this group and the BBQ group. There are some really wild recipes, one even
had beans in it..lol Thanks for any tips, tricks or secret ingredients.
Cut the beans though. g I have Yukon gold potatoes.
Good spuds- make sure all your ingredients are cold before assembly so
no one gets sick later- also, it will taste better if you make it the
day before, whatever recipe you decide to use

merryb wrote:
jay wrote:
I am lighting up the pit this weekend and want to make some potato salad to
go with the BBQ. I have never made potato salad that was very/any good.
Does anyone have some tips that may help or a recipe that they are proud of
that is not German style? I looked at google and searched the archives of
this group and the BBQ group. There are some really wild recipes, one even
had beans in it..lol Thanks for any tips, tricks or secret ingredients.
Cut the beans though. g I have Yukon gold potatoes.

Good spuds- make sure all your ingredients are cold before assembly so
no one gets sick later- also, it will taste better if you make it the
day before, whatever recipe you decide to use

Actually, I don't believe that having the ingredients cold before
assembly does anything to prevent illness. It's leaving a chilled
salad with eggs in it out too long so the ingredients warm up to allow
bacteria to grow (2 hours is the maximum without any refrigerant).

The very best potato salad, in my view, is put together with the
potatoes just out of the pan - hot or warm potatoes will absorb the
other flavor much better than mixing stuff when it's all cold. In
addition, I like to put the eggs in when they are still warm and then
chill everything at once after it is all mixed.

Further, I prefer potato salad without skins, even if they are new
potato skins. I use russets - peel and cut up before cooking (yes, I
know, they should be boiled whole with skins on, but I don't have the
patience, and the outsides get too done while the insides are still
raw). Spread them out in a big mixing bowl - for 2 pounds' worth of
potatoes:

Sprinkle hot potatoes with 2 T. of cider vinegar.
Toss around on top of this, 2 T. of plain granulated sugar.
Sprinkle on about 1/4 C. drained relish (I like sweet; some people like
dill).
Add 1 1/2 T. of celery seed.
Add salt & pepper to taste (go with minimums at this point).
Then let this cool to room temperature.
Add about 4 diced hard-boiled eggs,* 1/4 c. diced celery (with green
tops, if you want), 1/4 C. diced green pepper, 1/4 C. peeled, diced,
drained, seeded cucumber,** and quartered, sliced red radishes
(optional). Add some big spoonsful of mayonnaise (I don't measure it -
just eyeball it, in a conservative way) and about 3 T. of yellow
mustard.

Mix gently; taste and correct seasonings. Garnish with quartered
hard-boiled eggs and/or a fresh tomato divided into 8 spears. Chill
thoroughly.

If you like onion, use scallions; if you like just a little of the
flavor, cut an onion in half, put it cut-side down on top the salad;
remove before serving. I don't use onion because the left-overs get
too strong.

*I use my egg-slicer to chop the eggs, first cutting them one
direction, and then turning them around and cutting them the other
direction. I have also sometimes used my pastry cutter to dice them.
(I use my pastry cutter to make egg salad.)

**Cucumber: This will make the leftovers watery, unless they are
allowed to drain - to drain, dice them up and put them in a strainer
over the sink, and sprinkle generously with salt. After about 45
minutes, rinse them thoroughly, pat dry on paper towels, and add to
salad.

All the veggies I add are optional, of course. When the boys are home
to eat it, I don't put in celery because they don't like it - they
don't mind the celery seed, though. If I know I'll have leftovers, I
don't put in cucumber, but it makes the salad really crispy.

N.

merryb wrote:

Good spuds- make sure all your ingredients are cold before assembly so
no one gets sick later- also, it will taste better if you make it the
day before, whatever recipe you decide to use


I'm not sure what you mean by cold ingredients = no one sick??
Can you elaborate please? Many, many potato salad recipes start with
warm cooked potatoes that have some sort of dressing applied to them
while warm, then they're allowed to come to room temp or chilled as
desired. I prefer potato salad unchilled as the flavors are diminished
somewhat by being "cold"

Goomba38 wrote:
merryb wrote:

Good spuds- make sure all your ingredients are cold before assembly so
no one gets sick later- also, it will taste better if you make it the
day before, whatever recipe you decide to use


I'm not sure what you mean by cold ingredients = no one sick??
Can you elaborate please? Many, many potato salad recipes start with
warm cooked potatoes that have some sort of dressing applied to them
while warm, then they're allowed to come to room temp or chilled as
desired. I prefer potato salad unchilled as the flavors are diminished
somewhat by being "cold"
Ok, Ok, I mis-spoke. But I have known people to make it the day they
plan on eating it- if it doesn't have time to chill thouroughly, I
think you could be asking for trouble. That's what I meant.

merryb wrote:

Ok, Ok, I mis-spoke. But I have known people to make it the day they
plan on eating it- if it doesn't have time to chill thouroughly, I
think you could be asking for trouble. That's what I meant.

Only if their ingredients are somehow contaminated already, or they
allow it to become contaminated somehow.

In article . com,
says...
Good spuds- make sure all your ingredients are cold before assembly so
no one gets sick later-


Terrible idea. The best potato salads are made by putting the dressing -
whether it be mayo or a vinaigarette - on the cut-up potatoes while they
are still warm.

Sitting for a day is a great idea, though.

--
Peter Aitken
Visit my recipe and kitchen myths pages at www.pgacon.com/cooking.htm

In article . com,
"Nancy2" wrote:

If you like onion, use scallions; if you like just a little of the
flavor, cut an onion in half, put it cut-side down on top the salad;
remove before serving. I don't use onion because the left-overs get
too strong.

I'm with you on your onion opinion. Even scallions become too strong for
me in the mild potato salad I make. I use chives. I haven't tried fairly
finely chopped red onion which I use in macaroni salad. Hmmm... Nah,
I'll stick with chives. Potato salad is the only thing I use chives for.

leo

--
http://web0.greatbasin.net/~leo/

Leonard Blaisdell wrote:
In article . com,
"Nancy2" wrote:

If you like onion, use scallions; if you like just a little of the
flavor, cut an onion in half, put it cut-side down on top the salad;
remove before serving. I don't use onion because the left-overs get
too strong.

I'm with you on your onion opinion. Even scallions become too strong for
me in the mild potato salad I make. I use chives. I haven't tried fairly
finely chopped red onion which I use in macaroni salad. Hmmm... Nah,
I'll stick with chives. Potato salad is the only thing I use chives for.

leo


Chopped chives make cottage cheese a whole lot tastier. ;-)

N.

"Nancy2" wrote in

Chopped chives make cottage cheese a whole lot tastier. ;-)

N.

Add some caraway seed, let sit over night...
The chives and caraway make an even tastier cottage cheese.
Yum!

On 6 Oct 2006 07:33:55 -0700, "Nancy2" wrote:


Leonard Blaisdell wrote:
In article . com,
"Nancy2" wrote:

If you like onion, use scallions; if you like just a little of the
flavor, cut an onion in half, put it cut-side down on top the salad;
remove before serving. I don't use onion because the left-overs get
too strong.

I'm with you on your onion opinion. Even scallions become too strong for
me in the mild potato salad I make. I use chives. I haven't tried fairly
finely chopped red onion which I use in macaroni salad. Hmmm... Nah,
I'll stick with chives. Potato salad is the only thing I use chives for.

leo


Chopped chives make cottage cheese a whole lot tastier. ;-)

N.


Nancy, Nancy, Nancy! - a gallon of Scotch will make cottage cheese
tastier - provided you lose the cottage cheese.

Harry
x-posting off afb

Harry Demidavicius said...

On 6 Oct 2006 07:33:55 -0700, "Nancy2" wrote:


Leonard Blaisdell wrote:
In article . com,
"Nancy2" wrote:

If you like onion, use scallions; if you like just a little of the
flavor, cut an onion in half, put it cut-side down on top the
salad; remove before serving. I don't use onion because the
left-overs get too strong.

I'm with you on your onion opinion. Even scallions become too strong
for me in the mild potato salad I make. I use chives. I haven't
tried fairly finely chopped red onion which I use in macaroni salad.
Hmmm... Nah, I'll stick with chives. Potato salad is the only thing
I use chives for.

leo


Chopped chives make cottage cheese a whole lot tastier. ;-)

N.



You can always saute the minced onions first to cook out the odor and
bring out the natural sweetness instead.

Andy

Harry Demidavicius wrote:
On 6 Oct 2006 07:33:55 -0700, "Nancy2" wrote:

Chopped chives make cottage cheese a whole lot tastier. ;-)

Nancy, Nancy, Nancy! - a gallon of Scotch will make cottage cheese
tastier - provided you lose the cottage cheese.

A gallon? Heck, one dram of Dalmore 28 will make anything you throw
away tasty.

--
DougW

On Sat, 7 Oct 2006 01:14:13 -0500, "DougW"
wrote:

Harry Demidavicius wrote:
On 6 Oct 2006 07:33:55 -0700, "Nancy2" wrote:

Chopped chives make cottage cheese a whole lot tastier. ;-)

Nancy, Nancy, Nancy! - a gallon of Scotch will make cottage cheese
tastier - provided you lose the cottage cheese.

A gallon? Heck, one dram of Dalmore 28 will make anything you throw
away tasty.

Ah! I recognize greatness here ;o)

Harry

Harry Demidavicius wrote:
On Sat, 7 Oct 2006 01:14:13 -0500, "DougW"
wrote:

Harry Demidavicius wrote:
On 6 Oct 2006 07:33:55 -0700, "Nancy2" wrote:

Chopped chives make cottage cheese a whole lot tastier. ;-)

Nancy, Nancy, Nancy! - a gallon of Scotch will make cottage cheese
tastier - provided you lose the cottage cheese.

A gallon? Heck, one dram of Dalmore 28 will make anything you throw
away tasty.

Ah! I recognize greatness here ;o)

Harry

Harry, you crack me up. ;-) Thanks.

N.

Further, I prefer potato salad without skins, even if they are new
potato skins. I use russets - peel and cut up before cooking (yes, I
know, they should be boiled whole with skins on, but I don't have the
patience, and the outsides get too done while the insides are still
raw).

If you are boiling fairly large chunks or whole potatoes always start with
cold water. Add Potatoes and turn on. This will insure that they are
cooked evenly through and through. Takes a little more cooking time but
oyou get perfect results every time.




RagingChef (Aka Ben)