About as American as hamburgers, no summer picnic or barbecue can be complete without one. Unfortunately, I can't stand the garbage sold in the stores and what most people make because the potatoes are undercooked, they're swimming in a veritable ocean of mayonnaise, or there's those chunks of hardboiled egg in them that are awkward for my palate. Time to show niggs how it's done. This recipe is a continuation.
Prep time: about 30 mins.
Cooking time: about 30 mins.
Est. servings: 12
Today's Specimen
Ingredients
- 4 large Russet potatoes (about 8 cups)
- ½ cup yellow onion, small dice
- 3 tbsp. pitted Kalamata olives, quartered
- 3 tbsp. dill pickle, fine dice
- 3 tbsp. diced pimento
- 1 egg, hard-boiled
- 4 tbsp. mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp. plain lowfat yogurt
- 1 tbsp. yellow mustard
- 2 tbsp. dill pickle juice
- 2 tbsp. Kalamata olive juice
- ½ tsp. mustard powder
- ¼ tsp. white pepper
- ½ tsp. salt
Directions
- Prep the dill pickle, kalamata olives, pimentos, and yellow onion and set aside in a small bowl. There's no need to excessively drain the juice, but do drain a litle.
- In a small bowl mash the hardboiled egg until it's a fine, almost powdery consistency. Add the 2 tbsp. yogurt (or substitute with additional mayonnaise if that's more convenient) and 2 tbsp. mayonnaise, the 1 tbsp. yellow mustard, the kalamta olive and dill pickle juices, and the mustard powder and the white pepper and the salt, and stir with a fork until it's all blended well. Set aside in the refrigerator, covered.
- Peel and halve the potatoes and set to steam for about thirty minutes, until they're fully cooked and the outsides are soft. If you're using smaller potatoes it can take only twnety to tweny-five minutes, so at around twenty minutes check every five to make sure you don't overcook your potatoes.
- Once the potatoes are cooked and have cooled enough to work with, cut them in roughly ¾" cubes and place in a large (at least 2½ qt. capacity) mixing bowl and pour the liquid emulsion solution you set aside into it, along with the preped vegetables. Fold everything into the potatoes, adding mayonnaise one tablespoon at a time. You want a creamy consistency, but using the least amount of mayonnaise necessary; the soft outsides of the potatoes will crumble into the mixture and thicken the potato salad, also. Two more tablespoons of mayonnaise should work, but don't worry about adding an extra one if need be.
- After everything is blended consistently cover and refigerate for at least four hours — preferably overnight — before serving. A light dusting of paprika and sprinking of fresh parlsey make a great garnish.
Next Time in the Lab
It seemed a little bland to me, so I figure while a couple ingredients may have been extraneous, I could have increased the mustard flavor a bit and aded a touch more salt.
- Increase the yellow mustard added to ¼ cup and omit the mustard powder.
- Increase the salt used to a full teaspoon.
