Summer Potato Salad

I don’t know about you but I am always in the mood for a good potato salad. It is easy to make and hardly requires a recipe but most people get into the routine of making it one way and leave it at that. Why? Potatoes are relatively neutral and can be combined with so many different ingredients and dressings. It’s fun (isn’t it?) to try new ways of making the familiar and much loved potato salad. Here is a variation on a theme. I combine yellow fleshed potatoes with radishes (because I still have a lot of them in my fridge), pickles and hard boiled eggs and gently toss the vegetables with a mayonnaise-mustard- cream-lemon dressing. A handful of flat leaf parsley adds some colour and a sprinkling of fleur de del (special French hand harvested sea salt) brings the flavours together. The small twist is that I add leaves of mini butter lettuce for added crunch. If you don’t have mini butter lettuce add any crispy type lettuce that you can get, or even try it with radicchio. What can happen? I love this salad with good country style bread and unsalted butter. I often serve this with baked beans as a dinner or a substantial summer lunch. Drop me a note if you try it and tell me if you have a good potato salad recipe yourself.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb white or red skinned potatoes (not brown)

4 radishes, cut into wedges

2 pickles, diced

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup cream

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

A handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped (1/3 cup or so)

1 small head baby butter lettuce or 2 cups crisp lettuce

2 hard boiled eggs

Directions:

Steam potatoes in a pot with a steamer basket until they are fully cooked but not falling apart. Test them with a sharp knife and when you can easily plunge the knife through the potatoes they are ready. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle. When cooled peel the potatoes, cut into large dice and place in a bowl.

Add the diced pickles and the radish wedges.

Combine the mayonnaise, cream, mustard and lemon juice and whisk to blend. Taste and add salt and pepper.

Drizzle the dressing over the potatoes and gently mix with a spatula.

Add the parsley and chopped lettuce and gently mix to combine but do not overmix.Chop the egg whites and add to the salad.

Crumble the egg yolks and sprinkle over the salad without mixing them in.

Pile onto serving plates and serve with good country style bread and butter.

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