Mom's potato salad eludes son for years
QUESTION: My mother was a real good cook — mostly basic food rooted in an Irish-immigrant menu and brought to the row houses of Philly.Since she didn't leave any recipes to follow, I've struggled to recreate her dishes (win some, lose some). My biggest failure is trying to duplicate her German Potato Salad. I got close a couple of times, but "closies" don't really count.She always served this dish at room temperature; it never went into the icebox. (Yeah, I'm that old — get over it.) She used boiled potatoes, sliced or in chunks, with some diced celery and onion. Crumbled bacon, along with the drippings, was added to the mix, and, strangely, lots of celery seed, too. Then she put in salt and pepper, vinegar and sugar.The amounts of the ingredients are a mystery to me. She would throw in a little water and then let it sit overnight out on the counter, stewing in its own juices. She never prepared much of this delicious dish, which tells me it might have a short shelf life.It was a recipe from the Old World — nothing fancy, just an honest dish that anyone can make. Except me.
ANSWER: Don't worry, I'm "over it" as far as your mom's potato salad never going into the icebox. My mom's potato salad never made it into the "cool cellar" either, because I was responsible for taking the mule to town to get the block of ice from the icehouse.What I'm not over, however, is that you let your dear mother leave us without getting all her recipes. So let's try to make sure that doesn't happen for your progeny when they write in to say, "We never got our grandfather's
German Potato Salad recipe, which happened to never be put into the refrigerator. (Yes, we're that old.)" By that time we'll have carbon freezing chambers like the one Han Solo got dumped in.OK, now that I've gotten all that out of my system, let's try to replicate your mom's recipe so you can pass it on to your children.To start our quest, let's talk a little bit about the origins of potato salad, and Germany is a good place to begin. Though potatoes are a New World food introduced to Europe in the 16th century, this salad recipe came back to the New World with immigrants who adapted traditional recipes using local ingredients.Immigrant Germans may not have been the first to cut potatoes into chunks and cook them, but they were probably right there at the starting gate when it came to blanketing these chunks with a dressing.Germans were accustomed to doing this by way of the spinach salad, sauerkraut and other dishes.Though it's just a guess, German Potato Salad probably was probably first eaten warm right after it was made. But after it was accidentally left it on the counter overnight, someone said, "This is even better than the day before, because it had time to marinate in its dressing."Thus a tradition was born.Because it's vinegar-based, it doesn't need refrigeration, so your mom wasn't worried about preservation. She most likely made a ton of it and you guys ate it all!Once homemade mayonnaise with raw eggs was introduced to potato salad, the shelf life became very short. This was a completely different version of potato salad that your mom wouldn't have left out on the countertop overnight.It sounds like your mother made a very traditional German Potato Salad. Unfortunately there is no single tradition when it comes to cooking anything. So I am providing a variation of three variations that I hope individually or as a combination will bring back old memories.One thing that I think you're missing from this whole experience is that a lot of traditional recipes add a little flour to bind the dressing. Give that a shot, have fun experimenting and don't forget to write down the final recipe.Your kids will thank you. (Besides, since you're "that old," you might forget it yourself.)
3 pounds large boiling potatoes (about 6)½ pound lean bacon (about 8 slices), cut crosswise into ½-inch pieces1 cup finely chopped onion1 cup thinly sliced celery3 tablespoons sugar2 tablespoons all-purpose flour1¼ teaspoons celery seed½ cup cider vinegar½ cup thinly sliced scallion greens (optional)Quarter the potatoes lengthwise and cut them crosswise into half-inch pieces. In a vegetable steamer set over boiling water, steam the potatoes, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until they are tender, and transfer them to a large bowl.In a large, heavy skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat, stirring, until it is crisp, then transfer it to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 4 tablespoons of the fat. Add the onion and the celery to the skillet and cook the mixture over moderately low heat, stirring, until the onion is softened.Add the sugar, flour and celery seed and cook the mixture, stirring, for 30 seconds. Stir in the vinegar and a half-cup of water and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring.Lower heat and simmer for 2 minutes, or until it is thickened. Season the dressing with salt and pepper, pour it over the potatoes, and stir in the bacon and the scallion greens. Serve the salad at room temperature.Serves 6.
5 cups cubed, cooked potatoes6 slices diced bacon1 cup diced onion1 cup diced celery½ cup diced red pepper (or diced pimiento) optional3 tablespoons flour1⅓ cup water2/3 cup brown sugar2/3 cup cider vinegar3 teaspoons salt⅓ teaspoons freshly ground pepper1 teaspoons celery seed½ cup chopped parsleyCook potatoes in boiling water with skins on. Cool potatoes, then peel and cut into cubes.Cook bacon in a large skillet, then add celery, onion, red pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Blend flour and water in a cup, add to the vegetables and continue to cook.Add bacon, sugar, cider vinegar, salt, ground pepper, celery seed and parsley. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick and bubbly. Add to prepared potatoes and toss lightly. This may be refrigerated and served cold.Serves 8.
4 slices bacon1 onion2 stalks celery6 medium potatoesFresh ground pepper to taste½ cup sugar½ cup vinegar1 cup cold water1½ teaspoons salt1½ teaspoons celery seedFry bacon and cool on a paper towel. Sauté onion and celery in bacon grease, drain. Boil potatoes until firm, let cool, and then slice them and put in a bowl.Mix sugar, vinegar, water and salt in a saucepan and heat until the sugar is dissolved. Pour mixture over the potatoes and add the bacon, onion, celery and celery seed. Mix well.Serves 6.
