MONDAY MORNING RECIPE - SIMPLE CLASSIC POTATO SALAD

I forgot to take a photo so relied on an artsy picture. I described to the app what I wanted and it was 99% accurate. I asked for big windows with sunlight streaming through them, overlooking a pretty garden, an old-fashioned mixing bowl filled with potato salad, the old pots and wonderfully old rustic wooden table that reminded me of my grandmother's home, the warmth of the colors. I enjoy the 'old' feel to places, like stepping back in time, which is probably a touch of nostalgia going back to my childhood. Until we make this recipe again I thought to replace with a photo of my own, I'll leave it here for now. Or as I love art in general, I just might leave it here permanently.

We made our potato salad on the 4th of July. Many of us seem to have our own favorite and if you have any suggestions, I am always open to them. I have seen crumbled bacon added for instance, and that sounds a tasty addition. Today’s recipe is actually a combination of two. One is from Happily Unprocessed hosted by Debi, and the other is Stuck on Sweet hosted by Jessica Erin.  There are no hard-boiled eggs as my dear other half is not a fan and it was delicious without. He wanted to add an ingredient, can't remember what it was now, but I said no thank you! It doesn't happen that often but when making things there is the odd occasion where we compromise on ingredients. Fortunately we have similar tastes most of the time. If you look at the original recipes, you may see a few tips I have not added. 

4 to 5 lbs. red potatoes, peeled and cut in half, or if larger, into quarters

1 cup diced red onion

2 to 3 stalks diced celery (approximately 1 cup)

1/2 to 3/4 cup sweet pepper relish

2 to 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Salt and Pepper to taste

Dressing:

1-1/2 cups mayonnaise (you can use light mayonnaise if preferred)

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon yellow mustard 

Prepare all ingredients.  

Place prepared potatoes in water until you are ready to boil them. Pour original water out, pour in fresh and cover potatoes so that they are covered 2 inches above them.  

Bring to a boil on high heat. Once the water is boiling, turn down to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until fork easily goes through a potato. I try to avoid getting them too overly done as they won't hold their shape when you mix them up. I always check after ten minutes of boiling. (This being said, one of those recipes make their potatoes and mash them before mixing with the other ingredients. We followed the way we always do them in large-ish but not too large cubes.)

Drain hot water carefully over a colander in the sink, place thoroughly drained potatoes in a mixing bowl and let them cool for five minutes or at least until they have stopped steaming.

Pour two to three tablespoons of apple cider vinegar over the potatoes. Carefully combine and allow to absorb for a couple of minutes.

In a smaller bowl mix the mayonnaise, sour cream and yellow mustard until thoroughly combined. Add salt and pepper to taste if needed, and set aside.

Add the onions, celery, pickle relish and fresh parsley to the potatoes. Combine and add salt and pepper to taste.  

Add the dressing ingredients and mix gently until well combined. Mixing the dressing into the potatoes while they are still warm makes it all blend in more smoothly.  

Cover and chill until ready to serve.

I have added the following website addresses in full. 

https://happilyunprocessed.com/easy-simple-classic-potato-salad/

and

https://www.stuckonsweet.com/simple-potato-salad-made-with-sweet-relish/

This was a great potato salad. We thought we might add the three tablespoons of vinegar to give it a little more zip, but this is entirely to taste so you may think differently. Everything else we followed the recipe and were very happy with the way it turned out.

We served it with steamed shrimp, corn on the cob and sliced avocado.