Please pass the peas

Summer Vacation Potato Salad

August 6, 2015 Leave a Comment

vacation potato salad from https://test.pleasepassthepeas.com

I know I’m a little late to the party, but Please Pass the Peas finally joined Instragram (@pleasepeas, in case you want to follow along).

Lately, my feed has been nothing but pictures of other people’s vacations: Hawaii, Maine, Michigan. Sun everywhere.

Not here though. Here the rain is pouring down, the lights are flickering and I’m racing to get this post up before the internet goes out.

Fortunately, we had much better weather for our own vacation a few weeks ago. We stayed in a beach condo owned by the parents of some friends and did nothing but swim, read and play board games for days.

condo view from https://test.pleasepassthepeas.com

Oh, and eat. We ate a lot.

Corn on the cob, chocolate chip cookies, plates of heirloom tomatoes sprinkled with sea salt and fresh dill, peaches, blueberries, butter beans with a spoonful of locally-made chèvre stirred in, takeout Thai food, watermelon, soft serve ice cream, okra and a simple potato salad that I made ahead of time and took with us so we’d have some home-cooked food on our first night of vacation.

For the most part, this is a pretty basic potato salad recipe. I add green olives for a little briny punch and pickled red onions, which I always have leftover from our frequent bahn mi nights. Sometimes, I throw in a few chopped hard boiled eggs too, if I happen to have them on hand.

I used to think that the best way to cook potatoes was to leave them whole and then chop them after they were finished cooking. But then I heard a recording of an old interview with Julia Child talking about potato salad. She said she cut up her potatoes first, so now I do too — because who am I to argue with Julia Child?

I also dress the potatoes while they are still hot. I’m sure there are some food safety experts out there tsk tsking at the idea of adding steaming potatoes to a mayonnaise-based dressing, but I do it every time.

I’ve read that doing so can cause the potato salad to get oily, but I’ve never experienced that, probably because I use significantly less mayonnaise than many other recipes.

This potato salad is the kind of easy, make-ahead recipe that’s perfect for the last fleeting weeks of summer.

Here are a few other ideas for lazy summer evenings, whether you’re actually on vacation or just wish you were:

Tomato Cobbler

Summer Squash Casserole 

Watermelon and Feta Salad

Sweet Corn and Heirloom Tomato Salad

Butter Beans with Melted Leeks

And last but definitely not least, Southern Banana Pudding.

Print
A Simple Potato Salad

Yield: 6-8 servings

This recipe calls for pickled red onions, which are super simple to make but a couple of thinly sliced scallions would probably be a fine substitute.

In fact, all of the add-ins are flexible. Try capers instead of olives, dill instead of parsley (I would use less dill) or add some celery or chopped cornichons for extra crunch.

Make sure to start the potatoes in cold water. They'll cook more evenly that way.

  • 2 pounds new potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces (I like Yukon Gold best but often use a mix of different varieties)
  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/3 cup whole milk
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons ground mustard
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped green olives
  • 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1/3 cup diced pickled red onions

Put the cubed potatoes into a large pot and cover with plenty of cold, salted water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are cooked through, about 10 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, whisk together the mayonnaise, milk, cider vinegar, ground mustard, sugar, salt and several grinds of pepper.

Drain the potatoes and combine them in a large bowl with the dressing, olives, parsley and pickled onions. Chill before serving.

3.1
https://pleasepassthepeas.com/summer-vacation-potato-salad/
All content and photos copyright Please Pass the Peas ~ pleasepassthepeas.com

You may also like -

  • Baby, It’s Cold InsideBaby, It’s Cold Inside
  • Sweet and Sour Gujarati Tomato Curry with TofuSweet and Sour Gujarati Tomato Curry with Tofu
  • Double Kate BrowniesDouble Kate Brownies

Filed Under: Salad, Sides, Summer, Uncategorized, Vegetarian Tagged With: potato salad, potatoes

« Tofu Banh Mi with Quick-Pickled Carrots and Onion
Salted Malted Ice Cream »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome

I'm Lindsay, a home cook based in Wilmington, NC. Please Pass the Peas is where I share recipes and stories about the food I feed my family. More about me...

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

SUBSCRIBE BY EMAIL

Find a recipe

  • Recipe Index

Browse by category

  • Accompaniments
  • Breakfast
  • Brunch
  • Cookies
  • Dessert
  • Drinks
  • Entree
  • Fall
  • Gestational Diabetes
  • Quick breads
  • Salad
  • Sides
  • Snack
  • Soup
  • Spring
  • Summer
  • The Kitchen is Closed
  • Uncategorized
  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
  • Winter

Browse by date

  • February 2016
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014

Copyright © 2021 Please pass the peas