Potato Salad: Made in America
Posted by Avi
Wednesday July 28, 2010Potato salad is as American as apple pie…even if it’s being made in Germany. Blogger Luisa Weiss, a.k.a. The Wednesday Chef, recently moved from Manhattan back to her native city of Berlin. But that hasn’t stopped her from making good ol’ American favorites, like this recipe for potato salad with a spicy horseradish and yogurt dressing. Okay, maybe the horseradish and yogurt part isn’t exactly typical U.S.A. fare (makes sense—the original recipe comes from the British chef Yotam Ottolenghi), but I can guarantee that this dish would be welcome at any red, white, and blue barbecue.
As for a classic American version, I still love my grandmother’s recipe that she probably got from the back of a 1960’s-era Hellmann’s jar: it’s lightly boiled potatoes and cut up hardboiled eggs mixed with chopped onions and celery and a dressing of mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. So simple and so good.
This summer, besides trying to recreate grandma’s version (which of course I never get as good as hers), I’ve been stuck on two full proof potato salad recipes from BBQ Bash: Potato Salad with Aioli and Sweet Potato Salad with Ginger-Lime Vinaigrette.
Now, there’s Luisa’s/Ottolenghi’s version to try. Not only does it look really easy and requires only seven ingredients, the addition of horseradish must give it a sharp bite you wouldn’t expect from this usually mild-flavored dish. And if you like the idea of using horseradish and are looking for other non-traditional versions, try this recipe made with Sriracha and scallions or this one with feta, capers, and chives. Clearly, potato salad has grown up a lot from how grandma’s always made it.
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