Is potato salad healthy? It’s potatoes and mayo and … Ah, the solution is to be inclusive. Add some veggies like celery and peppers. Add some eggs [ok, marginally healthy]. Pickles, definitely healthy.
In short, the quality of your potato salad is up to you. But it can be a delicious combination of ingredients rich in nutrients. After all, when do you eat celery? Here in potato salad and in the dressing for that Thanksgiving turkey, right?
I put this recipe to very good use in my culinary team building classes at Cooking by the Book. This salad is part of a favorite entrée: Steak with Charred Tomato Butter with Grilled Succotash and Summer Potato Salad.
In my kitchen, groups come to improve their team strengths by cooking together. For this entrée, separate teams work on the steak, the succotash, and this salad. They have to coordinate their efforts so, just like in a 4-star restaurant, every element of the dish comes together just in time. It’s fun to see professionals, standing with spoons in hand, looking over their shoulders, blasting questions, and scurrying to make sure their team succeeds.
This salad has the classic flavors you may remember from the potato salad of summer picnics generation ago: the celery, the hard boiled eggs, that dash of apple cider vinegar.
Before summer ends, add this splash of sunshine.
Sunshine Potato Salad
Yield: serves 6 to 8
Ingredients:
- 6 waxy potatoes (about 3 pounds)
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup diced red peppers
- ⅓ cup diced green or yellow peppers
- 1 cup finely chopped celery
- 1½ cups finely chopped onions
- 3 large eggs, hard-boiled and coarsely chopped
- ⅓ cup coarsely chopped dill pickles
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
Preparation:
Cook potatoes in a large pot of salted water over medium-high heat; cook only until tender, when pierced with a small paring knife, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove to a large bowl. Peel when cool enough to handle. Cut into 1-inch cubes. Place other cut-up vegetables in a separate bowl.
In another bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, water, salt, and black pepper. Pour dressing over warm potatoes and stir gently to coat. Cover and place in refrigerator, it necessary. Stir occasionally for even marinating.
Before serving pour off any excess marinade. Add peppers, celery, onion, eggs, and dill pickles and toss very gently to combine. In a small bowl. Stir together mayonnaise and mustard. Add to salad and toss to coat vegetables. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Source: Heirloom Cooking