Potato Salad

So, many would tell you that summer means potato salad, or that potato salad tastes like summer. Actually, Van wrote a poem once about that. Here it is (it was inspired by a compliment I was once given that I told Van about--something about my feet....)

"Potato salad tastes like summer," he said.

Agreed…summer tastes like ripe tomatoes

Resting on romaine lettuce polka-dotted with sunflower seeds.

Though most definitely summer doesn't sound like salad,

I thought.

Summer sounds like lake-waves lapping against a craggly shore,

Like sunshine bouncing off of bee's wings and blossom petals,

Whose vivid colors smell like crisp morning calisthenics before

A walk.

Summer feels like tooth-brush-bristle grass under my feet

That can never quite remove the tarry asphalt plaque from

My morning's meandering, though most definitely it does help to floss

Between my toes. "Sausages look like toes,"

She said.

Summer looks like liberated feet. Feet that have fled

Their leathery winter confines to bask naked in the summer breeze.

In a rare moment of social conscious-less-ness

A peripatetic parade of proletariat feet frolic naked in the sun—

Sausage toed or curvaceous ankled, all parade together.

Ugly feet.

Everyone has ugly feet, or so they say as if

It were a ubiquitous human experience—like hunger.

There are, however, those few whose delicate calves trace slender lines

To curvaceous ankles, well-jointed toes and seductive soles…

There are those with sexy feet. Despite the proclaimed equality

Summer is ruled by those with sexy feet.

"Katie Hawkes has sexy feet," he said.

Agreed.

Anyway, this post isn't about Van's poem, it just seemed to fit. :) I've had occasion to make potato salad a couple of times in the past couple of weeks. If any of you know me, you know that I hate mayo, and loathe miracle whip. I am always cautious when sampling any creamy summery salad because of my disgust of miracle whip. I can do a potato salad with mayo, I just usually don't love it. However, I came across THIS potato salad recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks, The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. I love it. I love almost everything I've tried from it, including this potato salad. It's delicious, and while it has mayo, it has far less than most other recipes I've tried, AND it has vinegar, which I LOVE. I've also had many people mention how much they like it. I was wary of the sweet pickles in it, since I tend towards dill--always dill--but they are delicious. It is a delicious salad. Anyway, should you so desire, give it a try.....and ENJOY summer :)

AMERICAN POTATO SALAD

America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour (includes 20 min chilling time)

For best results, do not substitute sweet pickle relish for the minced sweet pickles

3 pounds red potatoes (about 10 medium sized)

Scrubbed and cut into ¾-inch chunks

½ c red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

¾ c mayo

½ c minced sweet pickles

1 T Dijon mustard

2 ribs celery, chopped fine

4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped coarse

3 T minced red onion

3 T minced fresh parsley

Bring potatoes and 4 quarts water to a simmer in a large pot and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. Gently toss the warm potatoes with vinegar, ½ tsp salt, and ½ tsp pepper and refrigerate for 20 min. Meanwhile, mix the mayo, pickles, and mustard together. Toss the chilled potatoes with the mayo mixture, celery, eggs, onion, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.