Subject: Potato salad
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
From: Robin (robin.jonesNOroSPAM at us.abb.com.invalid)
Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2000 13:28:35 -0700
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Summer is barbecue weather, and my family loves potato salad. I wish I could get potato salad like my mother's at the deli, but alas, nobody makes it "like Mom". (I'm the Mom now.)
Here's my recipe:
Mom's Potato Salad
8 medium potatoes (I like red ones)
2 hard boiled eggs, diced
1-2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/4 green pepper, finely chopped
1 small jar diced pimento
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
Salt
Pepper
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
3-4 tablespoons Miracle Whip salad dressing
Dash salad vinegar (optional)
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
Boil the potatoes (whole, unpeeled) until just done, about 15-20 minutes. Dump them in a colander and cool. Peel and large dice and put in a large bowl. Add eggs, celery, onion, green pepper, pimento (with juice), and relish. Add seasonings to taste. Add mustard, then "some" Miracle Whip. I start with 3-4 tablespoons, then mix it up. If too dry, add a little more. Now taste. If too sweet, add a dash of vinegar. If too tart, add a little sugar. Makes about 6-8 servings.
Robin from Houston -
From: zxcvbob (bob at area51online.net)
Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2000 22:44:05 -0500
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> Boil the potatoes (whole, unpeeled) until just done, about 15-20
> minutes. Dump them in a colander and cool. Peel and large dice
> and put in a large bowl...
What do you do with the boiled potato peels?
A couple of weeks ago, I made a batch of potato salad just about like yours. When I was cleaning up, I almost threw away the peelings. I caught myself just in time (what was I thinking???)
I sauted some onion and diced red bell pepper and sliced fresh jalapeno pepper in butter in a small non-stick pan. Added the boiled potato peels, and a couple of beaten eggs, salt, black pepper. Topped with some cheese, and cooked covered over very low heat until the eggs were fully set. Yum.
From: sue at interport net (Curly Sue)
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 04:20:28 GMT
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zxcvbob (bob at area51online.net) wrote:
>I sauted some onion and diced red bell pepper and sliced fresh jalapeno
>pepper in butter in a small non-stick pan. Added the boiled potato
>peels, and a couple of beaten eggs, salt, black pepper. Topped with
>some cheese, and cooked covered over very low heat until the eggs were
>fully set. Yum.
Boiled potato peel fritatta- now that's thinking outside of the box!
From: sue at interport net (Curly Sue)
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 17:25:27 GMT
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Curly Sue wrote:
>Boiled potato peel fritatta- now that's thinking outside of the box!
Thinking about it, I think I'd sautee the peels first.
Anyway, it reminds me of a story about my grandfather. My father said his father would say "We were so poor, all we had to eat was potato peels!" To which my father asked "But what happened to the rest of the potato?" (I don't think he got a satisfactory answer ;>)
From: zxcvbob (bob at area51online.net)
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 23:53:03 -0500
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> Thinking about it, I think I'd sautee the peels first.
>
> Anyway, it reminds me of a story about my grandfather. My father said
> his father would say "We were so poor, all we had to eat was potato
> peels!" To which my father asked "But what happened to the rest of
> the potato?" (I don't think he got a satisfactory answer ;>)
Yeah, I wasn't very clear in my description. I added the boiled potato peels to the onions and peppers and cooked them a little before I added the eggs.
I love your "what happened to the rest of the potato" story :-)
Bob
From: malan6 at uswest.net
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 09:37:47 -0500
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zxcvbob (bob at area51online.net) gave this insight:
>> Boil the potatoes (whole, unpeeled) until just done, about 15-20
>> minutes. Dump them in a colander and cool. Peel and large dice
>> and put in a large bowl...
>
>What do you do with the boiled potato peels?
I just leave them on the potatoes. . . . . . .
:-)
Alan
From: Robin (robin.jonesNOroSPAM at us.abb.com.invalid)
Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 10:12:08 -0700
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>What do you do with the boiled potato peels?
Sounds great! I always threw them away, alas... I'll have to try this. BTW, my dog loves *fresh* *raw* potato peels. What a weirdo... but he's sweet!
Robin from Houston -
From: kathysch at ptdprolog.net (Kathy)
Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 18:46:41 GMT
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Wow, I am *thrilled* to find not only a great-sounding potato salad recipe, but something to do with the skins as well. I've never yet found a potato salad recipe that I'm completely satisfied with, but I keep trying! :-) Thanks for these!
From: "rob" (buster at owc.net)
Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 02:03:00 GMT
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Related I hope. I like making potato salad, sometimes chunked, sometimes sliced. What is the best way to get a potato to that step, where it is cooked yet firm, where I can then cut it up? If I boil the whole potato it usually overcooks and if I do chunks of it in boiling water, it falls apart when I mix in seasoning. By the way, red or white potato? Thanks...
From: zxcvbob (bob at area51online.net)
Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 21:18:52 -0500
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rob wrote:
> By the way, red or white potato? Thanks...
It doesn't really matter (imo) whether you use red or white potatoes, just make sure they are "waxy" or "boiling" potatoes rather than baking potatoes. Just about anything except russets should be OK. If you don't know what I'm talking about, just use red potatoes. I boil them whole and unpeeled, but it really should be OK to cut them up.
Regards,
Bob
From: sue at interport net (Curly Sue)
Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 03:44:50 GMT
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Make sure the potatoes are cool before you mix up the salad.
From: Elaine Parrish (esp at ebicom.net)
Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 22:51:04 -0500
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On Tue, 25 Jul 2000, rob wrote:
> Related I hope. I like making potato salad, sometimes chunked, sometimes
> sliced. What is the best way to get a potato to that step, where it is
> cooked yet firm, where I can then cut it up? If I boil the whole potato it
> usually overcooks and if I do chunks of it in boiling water, it falls apart
> when I mix in seasoning. By the way, red or white potato? Thanks...
Hi Rob,
I like red potatoes best for boiling; white for baking.
Over the years, I've made potato salad out of potatoes cooked a variety of ways including boiled in the jacket (skin) and peeled and cut-up and boiled -- I've even made potato salad out of leftover baked potatoes and leftover mashed potatoes. Boiled in the jacket yields the best potato for me.
The trick is not to overcook them no matter which method you choose.
Boiling in the jacket is not the reason yours are overcooked. Keep a closer eye on yours and don't cook them so long. The same is true for the ones you cook cut up. Try to choose whole potatoes that are about the same size (when I didn't have this option, I'd start the bigger ones and then add the smaller ones or start them all at the same time and pull out the smaller ones sooner) so the cooking time will be the same. I use a sharp edged knife to check doneness. The potato should be just soft enough for the knife to cut into it. It should be done, but firm.
Elaine
From: Peter G. Aitken (peter at pgacon.com)
Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 20:27:23 GMT
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rob wrote:
> By the way, red or white potato? Thanks...
I forgot to mention - the color of the potato does not tell you whether it is a baker or a boiler. It has to do with the starch content and maybe some other factors. Needless to say any potato can be either baked or boiled but certain types come out better when baked (e.g. russet) and other are better when boiled (e.g. Yukon gold). One way to tell with generally reliable results is that a spud with a dry rough skin is better for baking, and one with a smooth waxy skin is better for boiling.
From: Peter G. Aitken (peter at pgacon.com)
Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 20:51:28 GMT
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rob wrote:
> By the way, red or white potato? Thanks...
Use Yukon gold or the red skinned type. Make sure all the potatoes are about the same size, but not too big. Oval ones about 2 by 1-1/2 inches are great. Bring water to a boil, add potatoes, and reduce heat so they simmer very slowly. After about 18 minutes test by poking a small sharp knife into one of the spuds. When the outer part is soft but the core still has some resistance, drain then and put on a cutting board to cool. As soon as they can be handled, peel if desired then cut into the desired size chunks. Mix immediately with the dressing and other ingredients. Here's what I like for about 1 quart of potatoes:
1/2c mayo mixed with 2 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.
1/2 c finely diced vidalia or Bermuda onion, or 1/4c drained capers.
2 chopped hard boiled eggs.
From: rob (buster at owc.net)
Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2000 03:07:19 GMT
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Thanks to all for the quick and knowledgeable tips. rob