Change. It’s in the air this week. Monday brought with it a change of seasons – the first day of summer! I love all four of our seasons here in New England so I really can’t say that summer is my favorite, but it certainly has some sweet attributes. Baseball games, long days (sunsets as late as 8:30 pm excite me more than I could possibly put into words), the beach, grilling…I could go on and on but let’s focus on grilling for a minute. We do a lot of it in the summer and I’m always trying to find new recipes for side dishes to accompany our proteins. I made this potato salad to serve at our Father’s Day lunch this past weekend and it was a hit. It had lots of flavor and was well dressed, but not swimming in mayonnaise like many other versions of potato salad. Safe to say it’s a definite repeat here this summer!
Change is also coming to our lives in a second way this week. Tomorrow I head back to work after a little some a lot of time off. This is amazingly good news for our family and for me personally, but it’s also quite scary. My new job comes with one heck of a commute and I’m a bit worried about finding time to do all the things I’ve grown to love over the past few years, not the least of which is this blog. I know there’s going to be an adjustment period but I hope that as I settle into a routine I’ll figure out a way to make it all work. In the meantime, posting may not be as frequent and I may not be able to visit my friends’ blogs as often as I’d like but overall, this change is very exciting and I’m looking forward to it!
All-American Potato Salad
from More Best Recipes by the editors of Cook’s Illustrated
2 pounds russet potatoes (about 4 medium), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
salt
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 medium celery rib, chopped fine (about 1/2 cup)
3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
2 tablespoons minced red onion
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
3/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes (optional)
Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and add water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat then add 1 tablespoon of salt and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer, stirring once or twice until the potatoes are tender, about 8 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the potatoes or they will break apart in the salad.
Drain the potatoes then put them in a large bowl. Add the vinegar and, using a rubber spatula, toss gently to combine (the potatoes may crumble a bit, don’t worry). Let the potatoes stand until they are just warm (about 20 minutes) or even completely cool.
In a small bowl stir together the mayo, celery, relish, onion, parsley, dry mustard, celery seed, pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the dressing and eggs (if you’re using them) into the potatoes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least one hour. The potato salad can be made a day in advance and kept in the refrigerator.
I just started a new job too! Good luck! I know you will be GREAT!
Congratulations on your new job, Tracey! I will miss your frequent (and beautiful) blog posts but I am happy about your good news and wish you the best in going back to the grind.
Pot salad looks wonderfully summery and refreshing. HATE pot salad swimming in mayo.
GL on your job, again.
I already hate your new job, just in case you were wondering…LOL! This potato salad is just like mine/mom’s/grandma’s except we use regular mustard instead of dry. Looks great! So many people don’t add that tang of vinegar and I always miss that!
This definitely seemed to be a big hit at our lunch!
Congratulations again on the job, you’re going to do great!
Good luck getting ready for tomorrow! I can’t wait to hear how things go. =)
Congrats on the new job. Lovely potato salad. We’ve gotten into the habit of using about 1/2 mayo and 1/2 yogurt, both because we like the taste and for the lowered calories (we use lo-fat yogurt). Will look forward to seeing your blog when you are able to contribute to it.
Good luck on the new job Tracey 🙂
Perfect summer recipe! Good luck with your new job, I am sure it will be great…Just don’t forget about us:)
Good luck in your new job ! Yes potato salads definitely do spell summer even here in France 🙂
The potato salad was awesome! Definitely high end deli style lol (not your typical supermarket potato salad) Congrats and good luck tomorrow!
Good luck! This potato salad is my favorite!
Hooray for the new job and for change! By the way, this potato salad looks SO GOOD! I’m struggling with an internal debate now on whether to make it (pretty sure it doesn’t fit into the diet plan–*sigh*).
The potato salad looks perfect for a New England summer day. Good luck with your new job – I’ll certainly miss the frequent postings, but I know you’ll find a way to balance your work and blog and family needs. Your new co-workers don’t even know how lucky they are yet!
That’s great news, Tracey. Congratulations! I hope it’s something you’ll enjoy doing so that going to work isn’t a drag. As for your frequent postings, of course, we’ll miss them. But, as a proverb says, a little bit is better than nothing. So we’ll take ’em anytime they come our way :o) Best of luck!!
The potato salad looks lovely… One of my favorites! I know I’m a bit late in catching up on reading this, but congrats on the new job. Best wishes! 🙂
Congratulations on your new job, Tracey! That’s great news. Best of luck with the new routine. I think we can always find time in the day for things that are important to us, so hopefully you’ll still have a little time to bake/blog. Aren’t you excited to have new co-workers to share treats with?
A good classic potato salad is something that should never change. This one looks delicious.
congrats, tracey! i wish you a smooth transition and happiness in your new job:)
Your potato salad looks fantastic. Congrats on the new job!
Nice picture and recipe for potato salad. Here are some more suggestions: http://idahopotato.com/potato_salads?gclid=CJS3x_SKxKICFQMTawodllvB3A