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Marion's Classic American Potato Salad

Nothing says summer like a classic American potato salad with mayonnaise, yellow mustard and the crunchy bite of red bell peppers.

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cleaned, peeled, and cut into small cubes (See kitchen notes)
  • 1 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon French's yellow mustard (not Dijon!)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • salt to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 scallions
  • 2 red bell peppers
  • 1/4 fresh dill, chopped—optional (See kitchen notes)
  • sweet paprika (not smoky)

Instructions

  • Cook the potatoes. When preparing the potatoes, cut them into the size you would like to eat. I prefer smaller pieces rather than big chunky pieces, to save on energy in cooking and because the small pieces are more pleasant to eat. Rinse them, then put in a big pot with cold water to cover; bring to a boil and simmer until cooked but still nice and firm. Be careful--don't let them get soft and mushy. Then they're only good for soup. Check them often to ensure you don’t overcook them (see kitchen Notes).
  • While the potatoes are boiling, prepare a big bowl or a pot with plenty of cold water and ice cubes. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them quickly in a big colander and then plunge them straight into the iced water. Leave them in the water for a minute or so, stirring occasionally, then drain again. Toss away any ice cubes that have found their way into the colander. Shake the colander to force off as much water as you can.
  • Prepare the dressing. Put the mayonnaise, sour cream, olive oil, lemon juice and mustard into a small bowl and stir well to mix. Add salt to taste and grind a lot of pepper over everything--stir again. Refrigerate until it's time to assemble the salad.
  • Slice the tops off the red bell peppers and discard the seeds and cores. Slice the peppers lengthwise. If paying homage to my mother, be sure to save five or six long, slim slices to decorate the top. Cut the rest of the pepper into fine squares. If you are using dill, chop it now.
  • Cut the root end off the scallions and discard. Trim the very ends off the green part and discard. Trim and discard any other part of the scallion you don’t like the looks of. Cut the rest into fine coins. Save two teaspoons to garnish the top.
  • Assemble the salad. When the potatoes are cool and drained, pour about a third of the dressing into a big bowl. Put about half the potatoes in the bowl, and about half the scallions and peppers, and half the fresh dill if you are adding it. Then add more dressing. Gently fold all this together. Keep an eye on the way the dressing looks. Sometimes, if the potatoes are newer and thus rather wet, you will not need as much dressing. Once all these ingredients are well mixed, add the remaining potatoes, scallions, dill and peppers (except for the garnish pieces). Add more dressing and fold again. Don’t put in all the dressing yet! If the amount of dressing seems excessive, don't use it all.
  • Transfer neatly to an attractive serving bowl. If you wish, garnish the top with a sunburst of pepper slices, or simply with the reserved chopped scallions.
  • Once the salad is mixed together and in its serving bowl, it can be refrigerated for a few hours, covered tightly with plastic wrap. If there will be significant delays before the salad is served, be sure to refrigerate. If you need to transport it, transport on ice.
  • This potato salad tastes wonderful the next day too. I can't speak for the third day because it usually doesn't stick around that long.

Kitchen Notes

You say "potato," we say "Yukon Gold." You may use other potatoes if you prefer them. Red Bliss potatoes are a nice alternative.
Dill or No Dill? Instead of dill, one of our friends swears by fresh chopped tarragon.
Oops. How about a nice soup instead? If you overcook the potatoes, they will be too mushy for potato salad. So here is a simple recipe for Rescue Potato Soup. Drain the potatoes, being sure to reserve the potato cooking water. Set aside about half the potatoes. Return the other half to the pot and add some of the cooking liquid. Mash the potatoes, gently heating them—the objective is to create a thick soupy liquid. Add salt, pepper, a good dash of soy sauce, and some chopped dill if you like. When the liquid is heated, add the unmashed potatoes to the pot. Heat through. Adjust the seasonings. Add some grated Parmesan or cubes of cheddar, serve with some fresh fruit or a little green salad, and this is a hearty, simple lunch.