Potato Salad
My dear husband cooks dinner on Sunday nights and last night's offering consisted of burgers with potato salad. Just like the fried chicken quest, he is now searching for burger perfection. He even grinds the meat, but that's another story--this about potato salad. I consider myself to have a rather sophisticated, adventurous palate, but some things should just be left alone. Potato salad is one of these things. Admittedly, potato salad does have many geographic variations and I'm sure that most folks prefer the potato salad of their particular region. I do like the NYC deli variation with red skinned potatoes, but did not particularly care for the version served last night, which John said was a mid western style (lots of mayo, big hunks of boiled egg and cucumber). I generally prepare one of two versions--a southern classic based on Bubba's recipe or an upscale version with fingerling potatoes, artichokes and herbs in a lemon vinaigrette. Bubba, a great southern cook, who once worked with my husband brought his fantastic version to a fish fry, and I wrangled the recipe out him after a few months. He douses the hot potatoes and chopped onions with vinegar and lets it cool before proceeding and mixes in lots of paprika at the end. My great aunt, Kate, made another of my favorite versions, which I believe is a Texas variation in which the potatoes are almost mashed with vinegar, mustard and very little mayonnaise. I should become proficient at this variation, as it is the potato salad of my childhood and was always served at the family gatherings on that side. That potato salad and the gorgeous spring weather we are having bring back memories of Kate--her funny mismatched outfits, hugs, coke floats and the most fabulous peonies.