A Potato Salad Adventure!

I neglected to mention that after my birthday, my family and Mr. Laura hit the beach for a few days for some well-deserved sun, sand, and... relaxation (I know, I fail at alliteration).

Clearly, the initials on top should be M.L., for Mr. Laura.
For some reason, he didn't see it that way.

It was a lovely 3-4ish days of rip tides, sunscreen, Teen Mom marathons, and great food. I had my favorite barbeque and doughnuts all in one weekend... who could ask for more?

It was also a weekend of one of the best potato salads I've ever had, courtesy of...me.

You see, a night or two before we left, my best friend Kirsten came over. We haven't seen each other much all summer, so something epic was in order. And, like typical friends in search of adventure, we decided to make potato salad. I had all the ingredients, so we got to work.

We had two positive forces in our favor:
1) I am a self-professed lover of potato salad. I'm in constant pursuit of the best one, and I rate them as critically as the Russian judges rate ice skaters. My favorite thus far comes from a local sandwich shop, but I will try almost any other to see how it measures up. Kirsten also loves potato salad, though I'm not sure if (like me) she'd marry it if she had the chance.

2) Kirsten and I love to cook together. Part of the reason we first bonded when we met was our shared love of the kitchen. And we work in tandem very, very well. Most of the time when I cook with someone, I'm a) paranoid they're doing it wrong, or b) bossing them around. Mostly both. With Kirsten, all this melts away. We each know what the other is good at and go at it like a military operation... but a lot more fun.

And the potato salad didn't disappoint, thanks to Deb Perelman's flawless recipes. It was comforting but not too bland, tangy and crunchy; a perfect example of Americana. It earned rave reviews from my family, and the leftovers accompanied us on our mini-vacay. Check this out: a perfect lunch in the middle of a beach day. Wouldn't you want to come off the hot sand for this?

I know, I know, I have to get better at food photography.

Mr. Laura and my sister both protested: "Laura, why does your food always have to be modeled like it came from a restaurant?" I swear, I wasn't trying to make it look like this! As soon as they said that, though, I had to snap a picture. But back to the focus--look at that potato salad! Yum. Case in point: look how sad Mr. Laura is that his plate isn't that diverse:

I rest my case. Viva la potato salad! And next time, I'll remember to edit the pics before placing them in the blog post.


Roseanne Cash's Potato Salad
Tweaked from Smitten Kitchen, who adapted it from Bon Appetit

The original recipe called for one of my few hated foods: pickles. There would be no pickle reconciliation for this recipe, no sir. As a substitute, they suggested cornichons. Cornichons? Ick. I left them out, and the salad still had plenty of crunch. If you want to add back in eight dill pickle spears, feel free.

Also, I'm not a huge fan of celery (looking back, I'm surprised I went ahead and made this), but I felt it was necessary to add some crunch. At first this was too much celery, but the flavor mellowed after a day or so in the fridge. If you're like me, add less celery, or give the salad a day or two to chill out. Or, add more onions! Here ya go, Kirst!

3 lbs. medium red-skinned potatoes (or regular, it doesn't really matter), unpeeled and scrubbed
1-3 celery stalks, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 small or medium red onion, chopped (about 1 cup, or more if you left out the celery)
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
2/3 cup good mayo
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (or more, if you like your salad tangier)
2 tablespoons FINELY MINCED fresh dill
Salt and pepper

Dice the potatoes and cook them in a large pot of boiling, lightly salted water until fork-tender (about 20-30 minutes). Drain and cool completely, then transfer to a large bowl and stir in everything. Season to taste with salt and pepper. A lot of this can be done in advance, or while the potatoes are cooking.

Mr. Laura found a pretzel shaped like a heart, so rest assured, he was happy again. Men.