Potato Salad

I know, I know. You're probably thinking, "It's winter. Why is this girl making potato salad? Isn't that a summer recipe?" And yes, it is. But c'mon people. It's been in the 60s...in Chicago...in November. So I'm going to hold onto the feeling of summer as long as I can!

Traditionally, I have always made my Grandma Johnson's potato salad recipe. It is so tasty and combines a variety of flavors. But I recently tried the Barefoot Contessa's Tarragon Potato Salad from her new cookbook, "How Easy Is That?" and found it to be a great alternative.

I'll jot down both recipes.

Jessie Johnson's Potato Salad

*Note: My grandma's recipes are notorious for not having exact measurements; I think this is a sign that the woman knew what she was doing. For this recipe, just add the amounts that you like of these ingredients. There is no right or wrong!

**Another note: Make this the night before you want to serve it for best flavor; it allows everything to come together.

Ingredients

Red potatoes

White onion

Celery

Radishes

Hard-boiled eggs

Salt and pepper

Sauce:

Sour cream

Mayonnaise

Yellow mustard

Directions

1. Hard boil the eggs. Click here for a great site that I always refer to when I am making a recipe that requires hard-boiled eggs.

2. Place the potatoes (leaving the skin on) in a large pot and salt the water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes are tender when poked with a fork.

3. Drain the potatoes and rinse with cold water. Set aside until cooled enough to handle.

4. Dice the onion, celery and radishes to desired size. Slice the eggs.

5. Combine the potatoes (they should still be a bit warm, as they will absorb some of the sauce you are going to add in the next step), eggs and vegetables in a large bowl.

6. In a small bowl, combine equal parts sour cream and mayonnaise (adjust the amount to the number of ingredients you are using). There should be enough to coat the entire bowl.

7. Add yellow mustard to the sour cream/mayonnaise mixture until it turns a light yellow color.

8. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and stir until everything is covered.

9. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

10. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Ina Garten's Tarragon Potato Salad

Ingredients

2 pounds fingerling potatoes (I like to use the bag that has both yellow and red fingerlings, to add a variety of color to the potato salad)

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice (approximately one lemon)

2 tbsp. white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

3 tbsp. chopped scallions, white and green parts

3 tbsp. red onion, minced

2 tbsp. fresh tarragon, minced

2 tbsp. fresh dill, minced

Directions

1. Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Add 1 tbsp. of salt and bring to a boil; simmer for 15 to 30 minutes, depending upon the size of the potatoes.

2. Once tender, drain the potatoes and cover the colander with a kitchen towel. Allow the potatoes to steam for 10 minutes.

3. When cool enough to handle, remove any excess skin from the potatoes. It is okay if some remains, as the skin of fingerling potatoes is very thin.

4. Place the potatoes in a large mixing bowl.

5. Whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, 2 tsp. salt and pepper. 

6. Pour over the potatoes while they are still warm.

7. Mince the scallions, red onion, tarragon and dill. Toss gently into the potatoes.

8. Allow the salad to sit for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to develop.

9. Sprinkle with salt and serve. (Ina recommends serving the potato salad at room temperature, but I have eaten it cold from the refrigerator and it tastes just fine).