Potato Salad

By Bill Dwyer 

In May’s post I suggested potato salad as a good side dish for Wiener Schnitzel, so I thought it would be a good idea to provide a potato salad recipe in this issue. Potato salad, of course, goes well with many other main dishes. It’s a favorite for picnics, potlucks and parties, too. Over the years, by trial and error, I’ve settled on this combination of ingredients, and the result has proven popular. This recipe makes a large quantity of salad, suitable for the kinds of occasions just mentioned. You can easily reduce the proportions of the ingredients to make a smaller batch.

 Ingredients: 

• 2 pounds potatoes
• 7 – 8 scallions (green onions)
• 3 – 4 stalks celery
• ½ red bell pepper
• 1 medium-size cucumber
• 1 tart apple
• 12 – 16 pimento-stuffed green olives
• 1 – 2 bunches radishes, to taste
• ½ cup minced fresh parsley
• 4 – 6 slices bacon (optional)
• 1 large dill pickle (optional)
• 1 cup mixed mayonnaise & Dijon mustard, to taste, for dressing
• salt & ground black pepper, to taste 

Directions: 

1. Cut the “eyes” & bad spots from the potatoes, but do not peel them. Wash the potatoes and cut them into one-inch dice. Boil the potatoes until they are easily penetrated by a fork, and put them into a large bowl. 
2. If using bacon, fry until crisp. Drain on paper towels and reserve. 
3. Clean and slice the scallions into ½-inch lengths and add to the bowl containing the potatoes. 
4. Clean the celery stalks and slice them thinly, including the leaves if they are fresh, and add them to the bowl. 
5. Cut the bell pepper into ¼-inch dice. 
6. Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise and remove the seeds with a spoon. Cut into ½-inch dice and add to the bowl. 
7. Quarter and core the apple, but do not peel it. Chop it into a ½-inch dice. Add it to the bowl. 
8. Slice the olives into ¼-inch slices and add to the bowl. 
9. Remove the roots and leaves from the radishes and wash them. Chop them finely and add to the bowl. 
10. If using bacon, crumble it and add to the bowl. 
11. If using dill pickle, chop it coarsely and add it to the bowl. 
12. Add the parsley and toss all the ingredients to distribute them evenly. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate. 
13. In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise and Dijon mustard to taste, up to one cup. (I use equal parts mayo and mustard, but you may adjust it to your own palate). Refrigerate until ready to serve the salad. When ready to serve, toss the salad with the dressing and season to taste with salt and pepper.

 NOTE: It is important to keep the dressing cold and not mix it into the salad until just before serving it. This will minimize any possibility of salmonella bacteria forming. It is also important to the taste of the salad to season with salt and pepper when the salad is at the temperature at which it will be served.