There must be people around who don’t carry a list of measurements around in their head. No, not the inseam and waist size of their trousers or how many yards in a mile. I mean the sort of "ought to" measurements that we absorb, often unconsciously, over the years. Most of them seem to be a mild pain in the neck.
For example, one day in a conversation, the following words flew out of my mouth: "I read somewhere that every good cook should have at least three potato salad recipes in her repertoire." Now where on earth did that come from? How long had that been simmering in some dusty string of neurons waiting to be unearthed? A quick mental inventory made after the fact seemed to reveal that I certainly didn’t meet that benchmark, and I reassured whomever I was speaking to of my own shortcoming.
Since then–and I’m fairly sure the original blurt was at least 15 years ago–I’ve added to my personal potato salad hit list. I admit to being very picky about potato salads. Too many of them out there are bland and unexciting, substituting chunks of celery for seasoning. This one, however, is downright craveable. It also doesn’t require the two days’ preparation that my basic mustard potato salad does.
A FASTER POTATO SALAD
2 lbs. red potatoes, scrubbed, eyes removed and cut in chunks (I don’t peel them)
1 c. yogurt
1 c. mayonnaise (low-fat is fine here)
3 Tbs. dill weed
2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c. diced red onion
1/2 tsp. salt, plus salt for cooking water
Boil potatoes in salted water until they are very tender. (Start checking after 12 minutes of boiling.) Drain and cool a little. Mash the potatoes, leaving some lumps. (I use a hand-held electric mixer, and I like a lot of lumps.) Cover and let cool to room temperature.
In another bowl, mix together the yogurt, mayo, dill, vinegar, pepper, onion and salt. Pour over the potatoes and mix in thoroughly. Taste the mixture and see if it needs anything. Salt? Dill? It probably will be quite thick; a stay in the fridge will let it relax a little. Serve now, if needed, or refrigerate.
Serves 4-5, or me on a bad night.
-Ann