thursday things – bad luck and potato salad

esplanade

My favorite time of year is here – IT’S FALL IT’S FALL IT’S FALL! Although I don’t get to enjoy the smell of crisp fall mornings nor enjoy watching the leafs change colors, I do get a reprieve from triple digit temperatures.  I don’t think we hit 100 at all this week and I’m feeling super pumped about it.

My plan this week, guys, was to get back into the swing of things. I had a plan to make all the things, photograph those things, and then tell you all about those things. I made it 2/3 of the way through that plan. I made all the things, I photographed those things, and then I promptly lost my camera’s SD card, and therefore all the pictures of the things I had made, and then I cried a thousand tears of sadness. (Not really, but I was medium annoyed).

I had put the card in my pocket for safe-keeping and apparently was unaware that there was a black hole in my pocket that was hungry for SD cards. I retraced my steps over and over and over again looking for my poor little card but alas there was no card to be found.

Fear not, I have ordered a new SD card for the camera which, with any luck, should arrive in time for this weekend and for new cooking adventures. Which MEANS, there is a chance I can get back on the blog-wagon by next week.

*Fingers-crossed**Knock on wood**Whatever-else-you-do-to-create-good-luck*

So, instead of all the pumpkin things I made last weekend, you get this. Which is a potato salad that I made for a BBQ at my father in law’s house. I snapped a quick picture on my iPhone before we left the house so I decided I would share it with you because something is better than nothing, right? 🙂

potato salad

 

easy potato salad

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds redskin potatoes, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
  • Chicken stock (or vegetable stock, or water); enough to cover the potatoes by at least 1 inch
  • 1 Tablespoon of salt
  • 1 large shallot, finely minced
  • 3 stalks celery, finely diced
  • 4 slices bacon, finely diced
  • 3 Tablespoons (ish) fresh-snipped chives, reserve some for decoration
  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 to 2 Tablespoon sour cream
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons yellow or stone ground mustard
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon smoked paprika*
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Salt & Pepper, to taste

Instructions

    Prepare the potatoes:
  1. Dice potatoes and put into a large pot. Cover with water or stock by 1-inch and add tablespoon of salt.
  2. Bring pot of potatoes to a boil over high heat and cook until potatoes are slightly tender but still firm. (You should be able to easily pierce them with a fork but you don't want them to fall apart when you do so).
  3. Strain potatoes and set aside to cool slightly. Taste one piece of potato so that you know how much salt you will need to add to the dressing.
  4. Make the dressing:
  5. In a large bowl mix mayo, sour cream, mustard, paprika, garlic powder, and a generous helping of salt and pepper. A dash of hot sauce or chipotle is good here too, if you're into that sort of thing. It's not against the rules to try a taste of the dressing before you toss the potatoes in to make sure that the flavor is balanced. Keep in mind you want it to taste a bit "strong" plain since the potatoes will absorb and mute the flavor a bit.
  6. Combine:
  7. Throw the potatoes into the bowl with the dressing and toss to combine. Add the shallot, celery, bacon, and chives and continue tossing to combine. If necessary, add another tablespoon or two of mayo or sour cream.*
  8. Once your salad is tossed to your liking, place in the fridge uncovered until chilled (to avoid that pesky condensation). Once chilled, cover tightly with plastic wrap until ready to serve. Potato can be made (and is usually better made) one day ahead.
  9. Sprinkle with extra chives and paprika just before serving to make it look pretty.

Notes

*I like my potato salad to have a bit more "kick" so I tend to be a little heavy-handed with my spices. If you're afraid of smoked paprika, start with the smaller 1 teaspoon amount. If not, go for the larger amount.

*I tend to like my potato salad to be very lightly-dressed, others prefer theirs to be loaded with mayo. If you prefer the latter, feel free to add more mayo and/or sour cream to your dressing, you'll get no judgment from me!

https://wee-eats.com/2014/10/02/thursday-things-bad-luck-and-potato-salad/

2 thoughts on “thursday things – bad luck and potato salad

  1. first of all, i’m sort of in love with that cover photo.
    second: that’s a lovely photo of potato salad. i kinda can’t wait to see how amazing your photos are with your new fancy camera! because you’re pretty pro grade with just an iThing, just saying.
    third: you may be the only person who could make me crave potato salad this time of year: that photo made me do it. also the recipe, b/c i’m a FOOL for smoked paprika: how could anyone be afraid of that?

Leave a Reply to shannon Cancel reply