Cooking the Chronicle – Mar 7
Well, I have to say, I never thought I would be serving an orange potato salad for dinner. This week’s recipe (“Sweet and tangy potato salad,” Mar 7) is something I have never seen before, and even as someone who really loves potato salad it threw me for quite a loop.
You will not find French dressing in my fridge. In fact, I am not 100% sure I have ever had it before this potato salad. I bought a bottle of Ken’s country French salad dressing from Giant Eagle, though the store had many options of creamy and oil-based French dressings. But the Ken’s brand was the only bottle that said “country” as per the recipe. As a French dressing newbie, I felt like I was shopping blind!
After a quick Google, it seems that French dressing gets its signature red color from either ketchup or paprika. I tasted it on its own before adding it to the potato salad, and I wasn’t sure I liked it, making me a little nervous for the orange dish. French salad dressing makes up the majority of the sauce that binds this salad together. With the addition of apple cider vinegar and only a few table spoons of mayonnaise, I sensed this may end up as more of a German-style potato salad, over a creamy version.
Pitching a cooking project to my toddler by promising a colorful end-product is always a sure-fire way to get her involved. She loved chopping the eggs (eating much of her work), was skeptical about the celery, and helped me dice and smash up some potatoes.
I think made a mistake with the potatoes. Instead of using Idaho potatoes, as recipe author Jessica Grann recommends, I used a bag of small golden potatoes that I already had. It worked just fine, ultimately, but the potatoes didn’t break down in any way or absorb much of the dressing. Idaho potatoes seem softer, as if they would lend some creaminess to the dressing, and I would definitely make sure to use them next time.
We served this potato salad with hot dogs for an easy weeknight dinner, just as the weather was turning warm. It tasted just like summer, making me long for dinners on the deck with the grill.
Here’s where I ultimately ended up with this sweet and tangy potato salad. This recipe was unique, and maybe just a little too unique for me. I just am not sure I like French salad dressing in my potato salad. It all was edible, taste just fine, definitely a bit tangy, but I kept craving a normal mayo-based version.
