OLD FASHIONED POTATO SALAD

RECIPES FOR PUTTING ON A GRAND SHOW AND MAKING A GREAT IMPRESSION ON VERY IMPORTANT PEOPLE

Everyone loves potato salad and in the summertime this is always the #1 crowd-pleaser. It goes with everything, especially anything cooked on the bar-b-que. I never did like my mother's potato salad because she put chopped cucumbers in it. Now cucumbers are fine in a green salad or sliced with fresh tomatoes or made into pickles, but I never could figure out why she thought they needed to be in a potato salad. So please be aware right from the first that my potato salad does NOT contain any cucumbers. If you like them in your potato salad then go ahead and put them in, but they won't appear in my recipe. Potato salad is a little labor-intensive in the beginning but the nice thing about it is that you can make it hours ahead, chill it in the refrigerator, and then it's ready to serve when you're ready to eat. Without further ado, here is how you make it:

5 lbs. baking potatoes with jackets on cut in half (I use Russet baking potatoes, but some like to use Yukon Gold potatoes. Red potatoes are fine, too. You just cook them a little longer and they don't need to be peeled.)

3 tsp. salt

4 qts. water

8 hard-boiled eggs, shelled and chopped

1/2 C. chopped dill pickles

1 bunch minced scallions (green onions)

1/4 C. dill pickle juice from the jar

2 C. mayonnaise

1 tsp. dill weed

1 tsp. celery seed

1 tsp. seasoning salt (I use Lawry's)

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. paprika

1. Boil the potatoes until you can easily insert a knife in the center. Take them out of the hot water and cool them enough to remove the skins.

2. Cut them up into small pieces and put them back into the pot you cooked them in. Add all the seasonings except the paprika, put the lid back on and let them sit in the pot while you prepare the other ingredients. This is one of the secrets of really good potato salad. It gives the potatoes a chance to absorb the seasonings so when you add the mayonnaise and pickle juice, they will be well-flavored.
3. Meanwhile, boil the eggs and when they have cooled, shell them and chop them up.

4. Cut up the dill pickles and set them aside.

5. Mince the green onions as small as you can.

6. Measure the dill pickle juice. If this looks like a full cup, that's because it is. I learned from this that one cup was too much and made the salad too juicy. 1/2 Cup is just right because it keeps the salad from being too dry but doesn't make it gloppy.

7. Add all the dry ingredients, the pickle juice and finally the mayonnaise. Fold it together gently and place in a glass bowl. Sprinkle with paprika and refrigerate until you're ready to eat it. Most people like their potato salad cold, although there are a few who don't mind eating it right after it has been made. It's all a matter a taste. Now, regarding the glass bowl: I'll admit I use one because it's what my mother always used but I do think glass tends to be colder and, besides, it makes the potato salad look prettier when you serve it. So the bottom line is, you can use any bowl you want but glass has always been my first choice for potato salad. Enjoy!