Picnic Tomorrow? Start a Baked Potato Salad Today!

 

Picnic food at its best

Inspired by those loaded potato dishes which were all the rage back in the 1980s, baked potato salad is an easy dish, even for beginners.

For the record, this is NOT a low-sodium, low-carb, or low-fat recipe, but when I'm looking for a break from the mayonnaise-y norm (or for a salad which will not spoil quite so quickly if taken to a picnic), this is a mighty fine option. 

Also, I very much recommend making it a day ahead, for two reasons: first is that the ingredients have a better chance of blending into one another for a better, fuller flavor experience, and second is that you can show up at that picnic looking fresh and relaxed, while everyone else is doing all sorts of last-minute stuff and adding sweat to their brows (or whatever else). You can smugly avoid that summer "glow", and still present a fine dish, to the envy of all.

Baked Potato Salad

Ingredients: 

Salad:
about 2 1/2 lbs small red potatoes
cooking oil
kosher salt

1/2 cup bacon bits or diced ham, fried until crisp, any grease drained and blotted away

1 cup diced celery
1/4 cup coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese

Dressing:
1/2 cup sour cream 
1 Tablespoon dill weed (less, if fresh)
2-3 Tablespoons chopped chives
1/4 cup buttermilk or regular milk
1 teaspoon granulated tomato bouillon (chicken flavor is a reasonable alternative)

Directions:

Heat oven to 400º F.
Thoroughly wash and dry potatoes. Generously coat with cooking oil and plenty of salt, placing them on a baking sheet, at least 1/2 inch between them. Bake until tender (about 40 – 50 minutes, depending upon their size). Allow to cool completely.

While potatoes are cooking, mix up the dressing and store in refrigerator.

Cut cold potatoes into bite-sized chunks, placing them in a large mixing bowl.

Stir in remaining ingredients and dressing.

Allow to rest, covered, in refrigerator at least an hour – or overnight – before serving cold.

Notes:
If you're not a fan of tater skins, you can always peel the little guys after they've cooled, but that will take away some of the best of the flavor. Plus, it's a lot of work. This is supposed to be an easy salad.

Also, in the above photo, I used a mixture of crisp deli ham and non-fried bits, for a little visual variety. One can also add fresh diced peppers (sweet or hot), capers, or whatever else one recalls enjoying on baked spuds. Red bell pepper pieces might give it a perkier color, but some in my family don't much care for the after-effects of peppers…

Pulled Pork Salad

 I've noticed that, these days, prices for poultry are often similar to those of  centuries ago, when the height of political luxury was the promise of "a chicken in every pot". For those of us who look for the least expensive option when we can, pork is back as a chicken substitute… but that looks like (ewww) work. Also, right now it's August, so pretty darned hot, so frying stuff just makes a girl sweaty (sweatier). So go ahead, fetch out the slow cooker, get the cheapest pork roast you can find, set it in a little bit of broth, and let the thing slow-simmer until it's tender enough to pull apart with a fork.  Then remove it from the liquid, slice it into slabs, and get it to the table before everyone riots from hunger, letting people apply their own preferred BBQ sauces, if they wish.

Or, if you're like my household, eat half the roast for dinner and save the other half to make this salad later in the week. The salad is plain, simple, and adaptable to your tastes, just like chicken salad, tuna salad, etc.  The secret is usually in the dressing.

Pulled Pork Salad

Ingredients:

 
2 cups chilled roasted pork, sliced thickly and pulled into shreds with a fork
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup fresh peas (or frozen peas, thawed)
1/4 cup minced sweet onion
1/3 cup good mayonnaise (I like Duke's)
1/4 cup (or more, if you like) stone ground mustard
1 Tablespoon apple cider or 3 Tbs finely-grated apple
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a small mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, salt & pepper. In medium mixing bowl, combine shredded pork, celery, peas, and onion. Stir in dressing.

Serve chilled on your favorite greens or as a sandwich filler.

Just call me Pork Salad Annie…