Potato Salad alla Italiana

As a foodie, it's a little embarrassing to admit this, but i love potato salad. Now, a lot of (dry, gummy, bland, boring) potato salads I'd just as well do without, but I am a fan of a good potato salad. Is it too horribly immodest to say that MY potato salad is my favorite?? Maybe not, because I did not come up with the recipe by myself. I read it in the FW paper many! years ago, made it once, more or less following the directions. A number of years lapsed (my kids are not big potato salad fans). Then I wanted to make the potato salad. Of course, the recipe was nowhere to be found. So, I made it up.

I recently brought this dish to a church social dinner. When I came in from the patio, Edward slid up beside me, and said he had just heard someone gush, "That potato salad is out of this world!!"

This has olive oil, so healthy for you, replacing most of the mayo...I think I have made it with no mayo as well, but soy or vegan mayo can be used too.

This is only a "Kinda" recipe, but you'll get the basic idea.

Italian Influenced Potato Salad

red potatoes, 2-3 (or more) lbs, trimmed for spots and cut in rough chunks

Bring to boil in salted water with a 3-4 in sprig of fresh rosemary (reserve the tender end leaves), or a dash of dry Italian seasonings, or a little of both.

In the meantime:

chop 3-5 cloves of garlic, place in the bowl you will mixed the whole salad in, add olive oil, evoo, the reserved rosemary, that you have diced, and a few chopped leaves of fresh rosemary, or a few dashes of dried Italian seasoning.

Microwave oil, garlic and herbs for a couple of minutes in mixing bowl. (The garlic has quite a bite in this; if it seems like too much, you can reduce the amount, or cook it longer.) Add minced reserved rosemary tips, chopped fresh oregano to hot oil mix. Drain potatoes and add hot to the oil, add a spoon or so of pickle relish or chopped pickles (for traditional potato salad feel), a spoon or so of whole grain mustard, I like to add a little finely chopped celery...a touch of celery salt or minced lovage would also do. Add some mayo, regular, soy, vegan, or not at all. Add a little fresh chopped oregano and basil, or more dried Italian seasonings, a few grinds of pepper, and salt to taste. Add fresh basil if you have it at end. Mix gently.

Can refrigerate and serve later at a picnic or potluck. I admit, I like it best at room temperature or even a little warm.


Tonight this is a side dish for Ribz. A fabulous vegan recipe from Susan at the blog Fat Free Vegan Kitchen. My 11-year old is very enthusiastically making this recipe tonight. She made it the last time, with maybe a little more guidance from me. (She did at the beginning of the addition of this recipe to our dining repertoire, ask that it be re-named...BBQ strips was one of her suggestions. I have to admit that the word Ribz/ribs is awfully graphically anatomical.

Ha! My child, thinking about the sauce, and then searing, stage of the ribz, and putting out various ramikins for bbq sauce experiments, just said to me, "Stand back! And let me work my magic!" Love it!

I am also utilizing zucchini and a bit of the small yellow squash from the farmers market in a recipe from a Mediteranean cookbook for zucchini fritters. They look great!

Happy eating all!!