Years and years ago my mother gave me a recipe book for Christmas.  It is bound in a 3 ring binder with protective plastic sheets housing each page.  Each page is printed with an entertaining little cartoon and each recipe is printed in Comic Sans.

Sigh.  Yes.  Comic Sans.

This binder is a treasure trove of eats.  She took all the dishes I loved as a child and put them together in one place.  Mostly she did it so I would stop fucking calling her every time I wanted to cook something.  The number of times I’ve called her throughout my life to find out what temperature to set the oven at is embarrassing.  It makes a good argument for mobile to mobile pricing as well.

Last night I decided to make potato salad and so the big white binder was, of course, the place I went for instruction.  I made some version of this same recipe back in January but I was missing stuff and just half assed the recipe.  What I created was a new fork in this potato salad recipe.  Last night I made my mom’s version (which she changed from her mom’s version).  Well, close to my mom’s version.  I don’t like raw red onions and I slightly bumped up the salt and we like more eggs and less celery.  You get the point.  Since summer is creeping its way on stage I thought I’d share it with all of you.  It’s my mom’s outline with my changes.

Salad Ingredients

6 baking potatoes – peeled & cut into bite sized chunks
2 hard boiled eggs – chopped
1 medium red onion – chopped (I DO NOT USE THEM)
2 medium – large dill pickles – chopped
2 stalks celery – chopped
1/2 cup black olives – sliced

Sauce Ingredients

1 cup Mayo (Best Foods.  Always Best Foods.  or Hellman’s.  Same thing.)
1/3 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 “good squeeze” of yellow mustard (yes… “good squeeze” is a proper unit of measurement.)

Your cut potatoes now go in a pot covered with water.  Bring to a boil and cook over medium heat until tender.  Not until mushy.  Not until they’re falling apart.  We’re not making mashed potato salad.  While that’s going on chop up all those other ingredients and put them in a really big bowl.  When the potatoes are ready drain them well and add them to the other ingredients in your really big bowl.

Then pour the sauce over it and… wait what?  You didn’t make the sauce?  Okay.  Please make the sauce.  Get a big jar that closes very very well or a plastic container that won’t leak when you shake it.  Put all the ingredients in the jar.  Put the lid on it.  SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE!  Shake shake shake.  Shake your sauce jar.  Okay now pour the sauce over the mixture in the bowl and using a really big spoon or rubber scraper stir it together.  Not like you’re making a batter or cookies.  Kind of fold it until everything is coated.  Now stick it in the fridge and keep your hands off it until it’s well chilled.  Then stir and serve.

And please for the love of your intestinal safety refrigerate leftovers promptly.

Okay.  Go forth and make some potato salad.  Maybe next week I’ll tell you how to make lemonade pie… you should be so lucky.