Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Potato Salad - American Style

I'm certainly not an expert in American food but we both love their potato salad, onion rings, mashed potato, pancakes, pumpkin pie, apple coleslaw and much more...That explains why Billy Bombers is our favorite place to dine on a weekend.


I wanted to try potato salad at home since it appeared to be simple and promptly added Red Skinned potatoes to my Mustafa shopping list, since we were going there anyway. In fact, it is very simple. I have adapted the recipe to suit my taste but the original recipe is Rachael Ray's.

But you may ask, why red skin potato, why not the usual brown-skinned Russet potatoes? The differences are that red potatoes are sweeter and less starchy and more nutritious too. Also, they are cooked with their skin on (slightly scrubbed though) because it’s relatively thin and soft and adds extra fiber to the dish. On the other hand, brown potatoes are best suited for frying/roasting, baking and they make the perfect fluffy mashed potato. More on that later...

Now, let's move on to the recipe.
 
What I Used -


Red Potatoes - 3
Yellow Onion - 1/2 (chopped)
Garlic - 3 pods, chopped
Italian seasonings - 3/4 tsp
Mayonnaise - 3 heaped table spoons (Choose the one that has Dijon mustard and Vinegar as well) *
Olive oil - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Pepper (I used 4 black pepper pods and powdered them with a small hammer) - to taste

How I Made It -

  • Wash the potatoes thoroughly and scrub the skin lightly (with a knife) so that there is no dirt.

  • Cook them in a pan with enough water and salt (I added 1/2 tsp). Note that mayo usually contains salt. The potatoes should still be firm but just cooked at the same time. I boiled water first, added the potatoes, switched off after exactly 12 minutes and let them sit in the hot water for 5 more minutes. Drain the water and let cool (When too hot, they can get mashed up very easily). 
  • Take a skillet, heat olive oil and fry garlic and onions for 3-4 minutes. 
  • Take a bowl, add mayonnaise and add the fried garlic and onions to it. Add the Italian seasonings as well.  Add pepper powder. Mix them thoroughly.
    • If you wish to avoid mayo (or its cholesterol), stir in a diced avocado* instead.

  • Cut the cooked potatoes into big chunks and add to the bowl. Toss them carefully so that the potatoes don't get mashed. Mix them gently so that the potatoes are covered with the dressing.

  • Garnish with celery. I used cilantro though :)

  • Refrigerate for 8 hours before serving. This gives time for the flavors to blend in well.

Let me know if you liked it too :)

Sending this recipe to Soups and Salads Mela hosted by Srivalli and Breakfast Club hosted by Scrumptious Sally






6 comments:

  1. Use sour cream for a better taste. Actually you can make both at home-
    http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/saladdressings/ss/mayonnaise.htm

    http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-make-sour-cream/

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ok, will give it a shot the next time i crave for some potato salad!

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  3. Sounds interesting!!keep trying new recipe.

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  4. Good tip about the avocado; I would never have thought to use it in place of mayo! Thank you for joining August's Breakfast Club.

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  5. Glad to share useful tips :) anytime!

    ReplyDelete

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