Garlic Aioli Potato & Egg Salad

Making homemade mayonnaise has been a challenging endeavor for me. It is always described as “quick and easy” but that has not been the case in my kitchen! This time- with a little bit of a struggle- I finally had a successful result. 🙂

The garlic aioli base of this potato salad was very creamy and flavorful. The diced hard boiled eggs added even more richness to the finished dish. This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Melissa Clark. I modified the method and proportions. The original recipe suggests making the salad at least an hour prior to serving to allow the flavors to mellow.

This dish could also be made with store-bought mayonnaise as a shortcut! Skip steps 3 and 4 and add garlic and lemon juice to the mayo.

Yield: Serves 4 as a side dish

• 2 large eggs
• 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated or pushed through a garlic press
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice, at room temperature, more as needed (I used Meyer lemon juice)
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 T sour cream
• 4 T (1/4 cup) finely chopped celery
• 2 T finely chopped red onion
• 1 pound small waxy white or yellow potatoes, roughly about the same size (I used tiny yellow potatoes)
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• finely chopped chives, cilantro, or parsley, for garnish

1. Place the 2 whole eggs in a small pot with water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat; immediately remove from heat and cover for 8 minutes. Transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water to cool. Peel and dice small.
2. Meanwhile, combine grated garlic, salt and lemon juice in a blender, and pulse a few times to combine. (I used a Vitamix.)
3. Pulse in the egg yolks. (I incorporated the egg yolks briefly at the highest speed.)
4. With motor running, set to medium-low speed (3 on a Vitamix), very slowly drizzle (drip!) in olive oil until completely incorporated and mayonnaise is thick. (I covered the opening with a paper towel to prevent any mess.)(I initially began this process with 1 egg yolk and the mixture separated. I was able to bring it back to a creamy state by slowing adding the broken mixture to an additional egg yolk prior to slowly adding the rest of the olive oil in the blender.)
5. Scrape the mayonnaise into a bowl and fold in sour cream.
6. Fold in the chopped celery and red onion.
7. Place whole unpeeled potatoes in a large pot with enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then generously salt the water. Cook until potatoes are just tender, 15 to 25 minutes depending upon size. (I cooked the potatoes for 20 minutes.)
8. Drain and cut the potatoes into 1 1/2-inch chunks as soon as you can handle them.
9. Transfer hot potatoes to a large bowl and toss with diced boiled eggs and 2/3 of the mayonnaise.
10. Let cool to room temperature, or refrigerate until ready to use.
11. Just before serving, toss with some of the remaining dressing to taste (if desired). (I reserved the remaining mayonnaise for another use.)
12. Season with black pepper and add more salt, if necessary, to taste. Sprinkle with chopped herbs. Serve.

German Potato Salad with Dill

I make potato salad just for my husband who would love to eat potatoes in some form on a daily basis. I often say that I really could give or take a potato… but… I’ll have to admit that this potato salad was quite tasty! The dressing was really delicious. It’s a perfect summer side.

This recipe was adapted from Bon Appetit, contributed by Alison Roman. I used baby Yukon gold potatoes and cut them after cooking so that they would take on less water. We ate it with Pasta Salad with Peas and Summer Beans and Grilled Salmon and Bacon Sandwiches for our Memorial Day cookout. Delicious.

Yield: Serves 6

• 2 pounds small waxy potatoes, scrubbed clean (I used baby Yukon golds)
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ yellow onion, chopped
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 5 scallions, white and green sections, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, toasted (directions below)

1. Cover potatoes with cold salted water, bring to a boil, and cook until tender (about 10-12 minutes); drain, cut in half, and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until soft, about 5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and mix in vinegar.
4. Add to potatoes along with scallions, and dill, and toss, crushing potatoes slightly; season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add the caraway seeds to the remaining dressing in the pan. Heat gently until fragrant and add to the potato mixture. Mix gently.
6. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled, as desired.

One Year Ago:

• Roasted Chicken with Potatoes, Arugula, & Garlic Yogurt

Two Years Ago:

• Mustard-Herb Potato Salad

Three Years Ago:

• Perfect Coleslaw

German-Style Bacon & Shallot Potato Salad

I have to confess that I am not really a huge fan of potato salad. I guess that I usually think of potato salad as the typical super starchy mayonnaise-laden version. This German-style potato salad is loaded with mustard, bacon, and shallots- some of my absolute favorite ingredients. When my husband requested potato salad for his belated Father’s Day cookout, I was so happy to have found this mustard version! It was tangy and loaded with flavor. 🙂 This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Melissa Clark. It is best eaten warm, just after it is assembled, but would also be good at room temperature. Perfect for every summer cookout. I’m sharing this with my friends at Angie’s Fiesta Friday #75 this week- which I am co-hosting with my friend Julie of Hostess at Heart! Come join the fun! 🙂 Happy 4th of July! Yield: Serves 8

• 2 pounds small waxy white or yellow potatoes, roughly about the same size
• 6 ounces thick-cut bacon, diced
• ½ cup thinly sliced shallot (I used 2 GIANT shallots)
• 3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, more to taste
• ¼ teaspoon coarse salt, more as needed
• freshly ground black pepper, as needed
• chopped parsley, for garnish, optional

1. Place whole unpeeled potatoes in a large pot with enough salted water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until potatoes are just tender, 15 to 25 minutes depending upon size.
2. Drain and cut potatoes into 1 1/2-inch chunks as soon as you can handle them. Transfer to a large bowl.
3. Meanwhile, fry bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
4. Stir shallots into the skillet with the bacon fat and fry for a minute, until just slightly crisped. Remove from heat.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk together mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper. Whisk in shallots and bacon drippings. (I added the mustard mixture directly to my skillet to combine with all of the drippings.)
6. Crumble in bacon. Immediately toss potatoes with dressing. Adjust seasonings if necessary.
7. Garnish with parsley and more vinegar if you like and serve warm or at room temperature.

One Year Ago:

• Mustard-Herb Potato Salad

Two Years Ago:

• Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Browned Butter, Swiss Chard, Walnuts & Golden Raisins

Mustard-Herb Potato Salad

My husband had to work on Father’s Day, so we planned to have his special dinner belatedly the next day. I wanted to surprise him with a delicious pre-Father’s Day meal as well. It rained on my parade though…. instead of grilled chicken thighs with cilantro pesto we had baked chicken thighs, along with our favorite corn salad, his favorite caesar salad, and this mustard-herb potato salad. It was great! He had leftovers to bring to work on Father’s Day too. 🙂

This recipe was adapted from Everyday Food. Steaming the potatoes allows them to really keep their shape and makes a nice presentation.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

• 1 1/2 pounds red new potatoes, scrubbed and halved (quartered if large)
• 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley and/or dill

1. Place a steamer basket in a saucepan filled with 1 inch water. Bring to a gentle boil. Add potatoes. Cover, and cook just until tender, 15 to 20 minutes, tossing occasionally.
2. In a serving bowl, combine vinegar and Dijon; season with salt and pepper. Add hot cooked potatoes; toss. Let cool, tossing occasionally.
3. Add olive oil and herbs to cooled potato mixture. Season with salt and pepper, and toss.

One Year Ago:

• South Carolina Mustard Pulled Pork