The first rule of Fight Club is read the recipe all the way through before you make it. I got this recipe from the great book I just read, “A Homemade Life- Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table” by Molly Wizenberg. Excellent read. I am not a big potato salad eater- I don’t like all of that creaminess with a surprise of a CRUNCH! But Toby likes potato salad, so I decided to make this for him. This was Molly Wizenberg’s dad’s recipe, and I actually thought about him and his family while I made it (he died, and Molly’s book is almost an homage to him). So I am making this recipe, and then the very last line says: Cover and refrigerate overnight before serving. Doh! I still made it because I had no plan B. And it was great! Even I liked it! I wasn’t quite sure how Toby would like it, though, because he prefers the non-mayo potato salads, but he actually said, and I quote: “I love it.” Wow! I think the secret is the Ranch dressing. Burg was on to something. 🙂 With this, I served some Riblets, roasted asparagus, and some bread. Yay Burg!
PS: Buy this book.
rating: 9
Burg’s Potato Salad
(“A Homemade Life- Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table” by Molly Wizenberg)
Ingredients:
Salad:
1 3/4 pounds red waxy potatoes, scrubbed
4 large eggs
8 scallions (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced
1/4 tsp salt, plus more to taste
Dressing:
3/4 cup mayonnaise, preferably Hellman’s/Best Foods or homemade- I used Duke’s
4 tbsp bottled Ranch dressing, preferably Hidden Valley
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
1-2 tsp caraway seeds (optional)- I omitted
Directions:
Put the potatoes in a Dutch oven or large saucepan and add cold water to cover by 1 inch. Add a generous dash of salt, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a small, thin knife, about 15 minutes. Drain them into a colander, rinse with cold water, and set them aside to cool. (If you’re in a hurry, put them in the refrigerator to speed the process along. You want the potatoes to be completely cool when you dress them.) When the potatoes are cool, cut them into rough 1-inch chunks. For the smaller potatoes, I halve them; for the bigger ones, I cut them into quarters or eighths. Put them in a large bowl.
Meanwhile, cook the eggs. Place them in a small saucepan, and add cold water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. When the water begins to boil, remove the pan from the heat, cover it, and let it sit for exactly 12 minutes. Immediately pour off the hot water and run plenty of cold water over the eggs. When the eggs are cool, peel them, chop them coarsely, and add them to the bowl of potatoes. Add the scallions, sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt, and toss to mix.
In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, Ranch dressing, dill, and caraway seeds, if using. Pour the dressing over the potato mixture, and stir evenly to coat. Taste, and adjust the salt if needed. Cover and refrigerate overnight before serving.
The Peppertree 