Brielle's Avalon

Just the thing for picnics, pot lucks, easy side on a hot night with sandwiches for dinner or a lunch. Quick, easy, versatile and if you make it yourself it can be just how you like it. Make it as basic or as fancy as you like.

Peel a few potatoes…or not, if the peels are thin and fine like on Yukon Golds you can leave them on, or if they’re red and you want the colour go ahead and leave them on, just wash them well under the tap. Then cut them into bite-sized pieces, put into a pan, cover with water and boil til tender, about 10 minutes.

While that’s boiling, cut up a stalk or 2 of celery and some onion (part or whole, depending on the size of the onion and how many potatoes you’re using). Put them in a bowl big enough for the potatoes and mixing.

Drain the potatoes or pull them out with a slotted spoon or other implement and add to the bowl with the onions and celery. Dress with your favourite vinegar (or not, it’s your potato salad after all). They drink it up easier when they’re hot. I used malt vinegar this time, but Balsamic, red wine or cider vinegar are nice too. Experiment.

Add ground pepper, garlic (powdered or minced), mustard (optional), relish (optional) and any other seasonings you think might be nice.

When it’s cool enough to not melt the mayonnaise, add enough mayonnaise to make it yummy, then garnish with paprika.

You can add any other stuff like shopped hard-boiled egg, bell peppers (any colours), jicama, chopped grapes, tiny tomatoes, chopped apple, grated carrot…make it a sweet or savoury as you like. Even some walnuts or hazelnuts can go in for a crunchy bit of variety.

As as far as mustard and relish go, it’s up to you. Chow chow, piccalilli, chutney, whatever. And the seasonings, also, are up to you. Make it more Greek with oregano, Asian with teriyaki, spice it up with salsa…make it up as you go, be adventurously international. Then garnish with colourful spices, parsley, fresh sprigs of fennel or dill, radish roses, green onions, edible flowers (fennel and dill flowers are pretty as well as tasty, as are pansies, nasturtiums and roses) or whatever looks fun and is edible.

Update: Today I had to do something with some potatoes, so I boiled them. When a knife or fork can easily poke in, they’re done, turn it off and let them cool. Then I drained them and let them cool a bit while I made brownies.

When they’re cooked they’re easier to peel, you can even use a butter knife! It’s a nice, safe introduction for kids to help in the kitchen.

You can cut them in-hand with the same butter knife so you don’t have to get the cutting board all sticky with potato starch.

If you don’t want to peel them you don’t have to, just cut off any nasty bits.

Then cut up an onion. OK, maybe 1/2 an onion, it’s up to you. I’m down to my last onion, but fortunately it’s a red one, so my potato salad gets to be colourful. I usually use yellow onions but they were out and the red were cheaper than the white. The next week the white were on sale, so I use whatever. I put it all together in an old margarine container (waste not want not) so I had fewer dishes to wash.

Sprinkle in pepper, garlic and celery seed if you didn’t have any celery stalks to use. Always keep celery seed around for these celery emergencies.

Add a big spoonful or 2 of relish and a smaller spoonful of mustard. This time I used some nice Dijon.

Then add 3 or 4 big, gloppy spoonfuls of mayonnaise and maybe a splash of Worchestershire. You can use soy or teriyaki too if you want.

Mix it all up, garnish with paprika and refrigerate.

Update 9/5/22: Today I added a sweet potato when I boiled the potatoes. Fabulous. This winter I’ll have to try a turnip, beet, carrots or even a parsnip. Should be interesting and in the case of the beet, more colourful.