Spicy Southern Potato Salad
Mayonnaise Dressed With A Kick
Adapted from Staff Meals From Chanterelle by David Waltuck.
- Servings: 4 to 6.
This is a basic but truly winning potato salad with a southern flavor, plus a little heat, that is perfect for summer suppers and potluck dinners.
This recipe is adapted from one by David Waltuck in his book, Staff Meals From Chanterelle. For 30 years, Chef Waltuck and his wife Karen, owned and operated and cooked for Chanterelle, one of the best restaurants in New York's culinary history.
This cookbook, now out of print but still available in the used cookbook marketplace, features about 200 recipes for the meals that would be shared every day for the people who worked in the restaurant. While the style of the cooking may have been a bit less formal and the ingredients less expensive, the meals cooked for the people who worked in the restaurant was just as flavorful and favorite-forming as the food cooked for the customers -- making these recipes genius for home cooks.
In this seemingly simple potato salad that has complexity and big taste, a mayonnaise dressing gets its Southern accent from sweet relish and its spice from Hungarian paprika. It is a perfect match for any summer grill but equally good with ribs slow roasted in a city kitchen oven or broiled salmon steaks.
The original recipe called for sweet Hungarian paprika but finding myself out of it, I substituted hot paprika, at half the amount. The result was so good I now always make it with the hot stuff.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Yukon Gold or other waxy potatoes, scrubbed but unpeeled (try to use potatoes of approximately the same size so that they cook evenly)
- 1/2 cup finely minced red onion
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise (I use Hellman's Light -- not non-fat)
- 2 tablespoons sweet relish
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard, such as Colman's
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/2 teaspoon hot Hungarian or Spanish paprika
- A few grinds of black pepper
Directions
- Place the potatoes in a large pot of cold salted water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Drain in a colander and when they're cool enough to handle, remove the skins.
- Cut the potatoes into 1-inch cubes and place in a large bowl. Let cool to room temperature.
- In a small bowl combine the onion, mayonnaise, relish, vinegar, mustard, salt, paprika, and pepper and stir to combine. When the potatoes are completely cooled, add the dressing and gently toss. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Cover and refrigerate for one hour prior to serving.
