In an earlier blog, I shared my recipe for German Potato Salad which my mother made often in our house. But she also learned how to make American Potato Salad. With the addition of eggs, it can serve as a quick yet satisfying one-dish meal for one person, or as a side dish for many people at a barbecue. In other words, you can make a little or a lot!
Over time I learned why I like homemade American potato salad better than almost any prepared by a deli. I like my American potato salad creamy yet dry and dense, as opposed to runny; and I don't like any trace of sweetness, usually the result of pickle radish as an ingredient in deli potato salad. Here's my simple and relatively healthy recipe for one serving, which I ate as dinner yesterday:My American Potato Salad
Ingredients:
2 medium-sized potatoes, microwaved tender (use the starchy variety: Idaho, Russet, Golden, etc) 2 large eggs
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1-2 stalks of celery, finely chopped (eyeball the amount)
2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dion mustard
A good sprinkle of Zatarain's Creole Seasoning
1 teaspoon of dried garlic powder
A few turns of the peppermill
Optional: Plain Greek yogurt
Directions:
1) Microwave the potatoes unpeeled until tender, about 8 minutes.
2) Boil your eggs on a stovetop until hard, about 5 minutes. When done, drop the potatoes and eggs into a bowl and chop. I don't peel the potatoes, but you can.
3) Add the finely chopped onion and celery to the bowl and mix.
4) Follow with the mayonnaise and Dion mustard. At this stage don't worry if it's too dry just work to incorporate all the ingredients.
5) Toss in the spices. I eyeball it, then adjust the spice to taste as the final step.
6) If my potato salad needs more creamy ingredients, I use a dub of Greek yogurt before adding additional mayonnaise. If it still tastes like mayonnaise, I leave it alone. If the Greek yogurt makes the potato salad too bland I add another spoonful of mayonnaise to the bowl. Also now taste to adjust your spices.
That's it! I ate my one-dish dinner warm. When I make a bigger batch, into the refrigerator it goes until serving.
If you have bell peppers, green onions, scallions, or olives, feel free to toss them into your potato salad. I prefer keeping the ingredients simple but will toss in leftover vegetables to get rid of them. (Did you know olives although savory are technically a fruit?) Nonetheless, making potato salad more complicated isn't necessarily tastier. Fewer ingredients are just as delicious! An easy, peasy, breezy preparation. Enjoy!
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