I'm a lover of potato salad, and, when a hankering for it hits, I don't want to waste a lot of time getting from point A to point B, meaning, I want potato salad, aka as quickly as possible. For that reason, this is my "go to" recipe -- it's nothing fancy, but, it's done within the hour (and in potato salad time, that's quick). There's more. While the potatoes are in the microwave oven baking, I often chop some optional additions (celery, onion and/or hard-cooked egg), and mix them in too, but, I'm here to tell you, this quick-fix potato salad, pure and simple, tastes great just as it is.
Do we need another potato salad recipe in a long line of potato salad recipes? You betcha. This one is one more to love:
The cook in every family has a favorite potato salad recipe. From my Eastern European heritage family, in my repertoire, Classic Creamy Potato and Egg Salad, Baked Russet-Potato Salad, Red Potato Salad w/Horseradish-Mayonnaise, and, Vintage Pea, Carrot & Potato Salad Olivier, are amongst my family's favorites. That said, unlike almost all of our grandmothers and grandfathers, we of subsequent generations began moving or traveling to different areas of the US and/or started traveling around the world -- we eat globally and regionally, as well as locally. Our pantries contain spices and ingredients from many cultures, and, because potatoes are a great foil for foodie creativity, it should come as no shock to anyone that potato salad has been fused with flavors from other cuisines. Example: My Russet & Sweet Potato Salad w/Chile-Lime Mayo, pairs great with almost any Tex-Mex-style grilled chicken, steak or spareribs.
Got a hankering for potato salad? Ready, set, go:
For my French-style Dijonnaise:
3/4 cup high-quality mayonnaise, Hellmann's or Duke's
6 tablespoons Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
2 generous teaspoons dehydrated minced garlic
2 generous teaspoons dehydrated minced onion
1 teaspoon coarse-grind black pepper
For the potatoes & optional add-ins:
4 large or 5 medium Russet potatoes, baked in the microwave and chopped as directed below
4-6 large hard-cooked and chopped eggs (optional)
3/4-1 cup diced celery (optional)
1/2-3/4 cup diced yellow or sweet onion (optional)
~ Step 1. Measure and place all ingredients in a 2-cup-size food-storage container. Stir to combine. While the potatoes are baking in the microwave (about 15 minutes), refrigerate the Dijonnaise -- just to chill it down a bit.
~ Step 2. Rinse the Russet potatoes, and, using the sharp tip of a paring knife, pierce their skin in 4-5 spots. Microwave until potatoes are fork-tender, yet still-firm and slightly undercooked. In my microwave this takes about 18 minutes. Remove from microwave. Slice the Russet into 1/2" - 3/4" discs, then, peel back the skins from the discs. Slice the discs into 1/2"-3/4 chunks, placing them on a baking pan as you work. Place the potatoes in the refrigerator for 8-10 minutes to quickly cool the potatoes to below room temperature. If you want to add any of the optional add-ins, read Step 3.
~Step 3. The moment the potatoes go into the microwave, now's the time to prep any or all of the optional add-ins. Hard-cook the eggs (either via the blue link to my method or your favorite method) as directed. Do not overcook the eggs -- everyone detests those greenish-gray halos around overcooked yolks. Peel and dice the eggs into 3/4" bite-sized pieces and set aside. Dice the celery and onions -- small or medium dice, your choice. Set aside.
~ Step 4. Place potatoes in a large bowl. Add the Dijonaisse. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold Dijonaisse into potatoes. Add and fold in any of the optional additions too. Cover and refrigerate 30-60 minutes.
It's a great cool-down side-dish to Buffalo chicken wings:
And perfect alongside a cheeseburger craving too:
My Dijonaisse-Dressed Baked Russet Potato Salad: Recipe yields 6-8 cups/6 cups without additions/8 cups with additions/8-10 servings.
Special Equipment List: 2-cup food-storage container w/tight-fitting lid; spoon; paring knife; cutting board; chef's knife; large rubber spatula
Cook's Note: Mom's macaroni salad. This, now retro, 1950's era recipe is nothing fancy, nothing special, and, definitely not gourmet. It's simply old-fashioned, pull-a-chair-up-to-the-table lip-smacking goodness. There's more, if one keeps this easy--to-make, creamy-crunchy picnic-and-potluck side-dish staple on-hand in their refrigerator, it only takes one scoop from the bowl to a plate to turn anything, from a lunchtime sandwich to a dinnertime pork chop, into a delightful meal. Try ~ Mom's No-Nonsense Elbow Macaroni & Egg Salad ~.
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2021)
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