In a couple of weeks the Farmer's Market will be closing here, temporarily changing my Saturday morning routine until the spring. With no shortage of things to fill the soon to be available time, the void of the availability of freshly harvested seasonal fruits and vegetables caused by the closing of the market isn't so easily filled. Which meant at this week's market I had to fill up my bag with as many things as it was possible to cook or bake with over the next several weeks (nothing is worse that seeing beautiful fruits and vegetables go to waste). It was almost dizzying walking around and around the market as I tried to remember all of the recipes I have made (and wanted to make again) as well as all of the recipes I haven't (but wanted to). When I came upon a bushel of the most beautiful baby red potatoes, the first decision was made. And no, I did not buy the entire bushel.
If there was ever a chameleon like food it would be potato salad. It refuses to be a dish pigeonholed into a single meal, event or holiday. Showing up at the summer barbeque, the picnic, a tailgating party, the graduation party or the side dish to the baked ham on the table at Easter, potato salad always seems to compliment the meal and food differently. Up until recently I thought my potato salad (the one laden with hard boiled eggs, lots of mayonnaise, diced sweet gherkins, finely chopped onions and celery) was the proverbial 'best' potato salad (ever). Okay, maybe it wasn't the 'best' ever but it was my most favorite, the one that made me turn away from any other potato salad served on a buffet, table or in a restaurant. I have been singularly locked in to eating only one potato salad. Make that 'had' been locked in.
When my sister said she was making a Lemony Potato Salad to go with steaks on the grill (or rather the 'green egg') I thought 'oh no, seriously, lemon and potatoes, no heavily mayonnaise laded potato and egg salad, this can't be good, will I have to be polite and take at least a bite?'. When she said this Lemony Potato Salad was made with only a half cup of mayonnaise, I thought 'three pounds of potatoes and a half cup of mayonnaise, this healthier eating kick she is on is going a little too far, couldn't she just not serve dessert instead?' Having been married to the heavily laded mayonnaise potato salad for so long I wasn't certain I could handle such a radical change.
As we made our plates I took the 'polite, don't want to hurt my sister's feelings' small scoop of the potato salad. After the first bite, I looked over at the bowl making sure there was more than enough for me to go back to have seconds as the little polite scoop of the potato salad wasn't going to be enough. The flavor combination of the baby red potatoes, lemon, mayonnaise, celery and chives was both surprisingly and immediately addictive. Whoever came up with creating a potato salad using these ingredients was genius. If I could be so bold and immodest for a moment, this is what Food52 might call a genius recipe, the kind of recipe that always delivers, should be a staple, made of simple ingredients yielding complex flavors, and maybe even be the 'best' version.
This is a potato salad that doesn't take hours to come together. Bringing a pot of three pounds of baby red potatoes covered with water to a boil and simmering for 10-12 minutes until easily pierced with a sharp knife takes less than 20-25 minutes. After draining and cooling the potatoes, they are chopped into quarters (or halves if you like a really chunky potato salad). And there is no peeling required!
The celery, lemons and chives are what give this potato salad its' incredible flavor.
Depending on the size of your celery stalk you will need 4 to 5 stalks for one cup of chopped celery. I like my chopped celery on the small size but not too small that the 'crunch' factor gets lost. The chives are more finely chopped. The package of chives you find in the produce section of the grocery store is more than adequate as you only need 1/4 cup of them (finely chopped). Save a few of the longer pieces of chives for layering on top of the finished potato salad.
One lemon will give you the one teaspoon of zest and two tablespoons of lemon juice needed for the dressing. Just remember, zest first, squeeze second.
While the potatoes are cooling you can make the dressing. The mayonnaise (have developed a new love for Duke's mayonnaise, but Hellman's will work as well), celery, chives, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper are mixed together in a medium to large sized bowl.
The potatoes were still a little warm, but cool enough to cut. This is a potato salad served chilled or at room temperature. But when I tasted the Lemony Potato Salad after mixing the dressing with the slightly warm potatoes, I thought 'okay, I surrender, no more heavily laden with mayonnaise potato and egg salad for me ever again'.
Henry David Thoreau once said, 'It is never too late to give up your prejudices'. In this spirit of open-mindedness, being a 'polite' guest and putting any sibling rivalry aside when my sister served this lemony potato salad turned out to be all good things. If, like me, the ingredients in this potato salad seem to push the limits of your comfort zone, all I can say is 'push yourself, push hard'.
Lemony Potato Salad (inspired by Gourmet's 2009 Lemony Potato Salad recipe)
Ingredients
3 pounds small red potatoes
1 cup chopped celery (about 4 to 5 ribs)
1/2 cup mayonnaise (recommend Duke's mayonnaise)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
Directions
1. Place potatoes in large pot, cover completely with water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 10-12 minutes or until just tender (do not overcook). To test doneness pierce with a sharp knife. Drain and allow to cool before cutting into quarters.
2. Blend the mayonnaise, celery, chives, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, salt and pepper in medium to large sized bowl.
3. Mix the cooled, quartered potatoes with the mayonnaise mixture until potatoes are coated.
4. Serve immediately or chill covered in the refrigerator. Note: Bring to room temperature before serving.
After months and months of listing to one of my friends say more than once 'you need to make some business cards for your blog', I decided maybe it was time to do something about this. My initial responses were usually 'yeah, yeah, yeah' but I still did not move forward with having some cards made even though I felt like I was saying 'supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' every time I shared the name of the blog (guess I wasn't thinking short and sweet). But the real reason for my procrastination was I really didn't know what I wanted the cards to look like. All I kept thinking was business cards for foodblogs should not look the same as the business cards for 'business'. But I didn't know what 'not the same' should look like. The day I came across glossy square photo on one side, words on the other side business card was the day I set about creating the card as I finally knew what it should look like. In creative moments I experience a kind of euphoria that makes me want to burst with joy.
On the days when I am working on a blog posting that I really, really like I can hardly wait until it goes from the draft to publishing stage. It is a feeling similar to waking up on Christmas morning, to the butterflies in your stomach when you are in the company of someone you are smitten with feeling, to the feeling of completing one's dissertation and handing it off for publishing. It is sort of like being drunk (in the best of way) in euphoria.
My new foodblog cards will be away for me to connect with others having an interest in or passion for food. And don't we all thrive on and grow from the connections we make? However, the comment section on the each blog posting is another opportunity for me to connect with you and vice versa. In the early stages of the blog, I don't think I had the comment section 'comment friendly'. But I think that is now fixed (it has been quite the discover and learn process). Just saying, your comments are welcome and I would love to hear from you! Really I would!
