Soup and Salad Recipes:
Potato Salads

Dilled Potato-Apple Salad
German Potato Salad
Greek Potato Salad
French Potato Salad
Back-For-Seconds Potato Salad
Baked German Potato Salad
Blue Cheese Potato Salad

Dilled Potato-Apple Salad

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 small red potatoes (about 1/2 pound)
2 cups plus 1 teaspoon water divided
1/2 cup snow peas, cut diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
1 medium unpeeled red apple (your choice), cut into thin slices
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon dill
1/2 teaspoon sugar
salt to taste

Preparation:

Combine potatoes and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover saucepan, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and let cool. Peel and cut into 1/4 inch slices and set aside.

Cook snow peas in a small amount of boiling water 15 seconds, drain. Rinse under cold running water; drain well. Combine potatoes, snow peas, celery, green onions and apple slices in a medium bowl. Toss well.

Combine remaining 1 teaspoon water, vinegar, oil, dill, sugar and salt. Add to potato mixture, tossing gently to coat. Cover and chill salad 1 hour.

German Potato Salad

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

3 medium potatoes, boiled in skins
3 bacon slices
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 tablespoon unbleached flour
2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon celery seeds
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/8 cup water
2 1/2 tablespoon vinegar

Preparation:

Cook potatoes in enough water to cover until done, approximately 30 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool. Peel potatoes and slice paper thin. Set aside.

Sauté bacon slowly in a frying pan, and drain on paper towels. Sauté onion in bacon fat until golden brown. Blend in flour, sugar, salt, celery seeds and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat.

Stir in water and vinegar. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute. Carefully stir in the potatoes and crumbled bacon bits. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand until ready to serve.

Greek Potato Salad

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

2 pounds waxy (new or red) potatoes
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
5 ounces Kalamata olives
2 tablespoons capers
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup minced flat leaf parsley
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation:

Boil the potatoes in their skins until just tender. Run cold water over them. Drain and leave to cool.

To pickle the onions, place them in a small saucepan. Pour in the vinegar and 2 tablespoons water. Sprinkle with sugar. Cover the pan and bring to a boil. Stir, cover and simmer for 1 minute. Shake the covered saucepan and put it aside for 5 minutes to steam. Drain onions, reserving liquid. Set both aside.

Peel and slice or roughly dice the potatoes and place in a serving bowl. Sprinkle with the olives, capers, and pickled onions. Whisk together reserved pickling juice, olive oil, garlic and parsley. Pour over potatoes, toss gently and season to taste with salt and pepper.

French Potato Salad

Makes 10 servings

Ingredients:

7 potatoes, approximately 2 pounds
1 teaspoon tarragon, chopped
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 cup white wine, dry
2 tablespoons shallots, chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Preparation:

Rinse the potatoes but do not peel them. Put them in a large saucepan. Add cold water to cover and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until tender. Cool.

Once cool, cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Cut each half into thin slices. Place in a bowl and set aside.

Whisk together remaining ingredients and pour over potatoes. Stir gently.

Back-For-Seconds Potato Salad

Ingredients:

6 large red potatoes, cooked until just done, cubed
1 cup celery, sliced
7 hard cooked eggs, sliced
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1/2 cup dill pickle, diced small
2 cups mayonnaise
2 tablespoons mustard
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1 paprika

Preparation:

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, celery, 6 eggs, red onion and dill pickle.

In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard and salt and pepper. Mix well. Pour a little at a time over potato mixture (size of potatoes used determines if you use all the dressing; usually it takes all).

Pour into serving dish. Garnish with reserved egg and sprinkle paprika lightly over top. Refrigerate 2 hours before serving.

Baked German Potato Salad

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

12 medium red potatoes, (about 3 pounds)
8 bacon strips
2 medium onions, chopped
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup vinegar
1/3 cup sweet pickle juice
2/3 cup water, divided
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon celery salt
4 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a saucepan, cook potatoes until just tender; drain. Peel and slice into an ungreased 2 quart baking dish. Set aside.

In a skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Drain reserving 2 tablespoons drippings. Crumble bacon and set aside.

Sauté onions in drippings until tender. Stir in brown sugar, vinegar, pickle juice, 1/2 cup water, parsley, salt and celery seed. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine flour and remaining water until smooth. Stir into onion mixture. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Pour over potatoes. Add bacon, gently stir to coat. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until heated through.

Blue Cheese Potato Salad

Makes 10 servings

Ingredients:

1 bunch green onions, washed and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 to 1/3 cup blue cheese, crumbled

2 1/2 pounds small red potatoes
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Mix first 8 ingredients and let mixture sit overnight. This is very important, as the blue cheese needs to blend with the dressing.

The next day, cook the potatoes whole with skins on, approximately 20 minutes. Rinse them in cold water to stop the cooking. Once cooled, cut them into quarters or sixths and toss with the dressing. Salt and pepper to taste.