Mom’s potato salad

This is the potato salad I ate growing up.  No mayonnaise here, just oil and vinegar, Italian-style potato salad. Don’t get me wrong. I like the mayonnaise-based dressing as well as the next person, but this version is my kind of comfort food. I’ve made one change to the way my mom made it – and that’s to add a touch of Dijon mustard. It’s also good with cooked green beans tossed in too, a recipe my mother-in-law used to make. Now that summer is approaching, I’ll be making this often. Once you try it, I’ll bet you will too. Make sure you use those Red Bliss potatoes. They keep their waxy texture well and don’t fall apart during the boiling. A lot of other potatoes are just too starchy and absorbent and you end up having to add more and more oil. You don’t even have to peel these either. Scrub them well before boiling. And make sure you wait until they’re cool before you add the dressing.

Mom’s Potato Salad

6 Red Bliss potatoes

Place potatoes in a pot. Cover with water and put the lid on. Boil for about 30- 45 minutes or until tender. Test with a fork or knife to see if it pierces easily. Pour off the hot water and replace with cold water. Let the potatoes cool before cutting into chunks and proceeding with the dressing.

Dressing:

Use your own judgment to decide if this is enough dressing for your potato salad. Naturally, a lot will depend on the size of your potatoes. I usually use a ratio of about 2 parts oil to 1 part vinegar, or sometimes 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. You decide what floats your boat.

1/4 cup olive oil

1/8 cup red wine vinegar

salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup red onion, minced

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

handful of minced parsley

Blend all of the above together with a fork or a whisk and mix into the potatoes. Toss in the parsley and mix well.

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