The Art of Potato Salad

At the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance, I work with an amazing group of women whose collective expertise includes art, music, dance, computer graphics, finance and administration. Despite, or maybe because of, these preoccupations, a favored topic of office conversation is food.

In a spirit of everyday aesthetics, a Thornton Wilder-esque search for the universal in the particular, I have wheedled a pair of recipes for you for Labor Day, that last hurrah of the summer barbecue, that last pot luck roundup of summer fare. Now playing — hot and cold potato salads.

Gallery coordinator Elise Freda favors this found recipe, allegedly a favorite of Marlene Dietrich.

Dietrich’s Potato Salad

8 medium fingerling potatoes (about 3 lbs.) unpeeled
2 small Kirby cucumbers, diced
1 sweet onion, diced
1/2 cup beef broth
1/4 cup sunflower oil
1-2 tblsps white wine vinegar
1 tblsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4-6 plum tomatoes, halved
chopped parsley or fennel flowers and chive blossoms

1. Combine potatoes and enough salted water to cover in a large saucepan and heat to boiling over medium high heat. Boil gently until tender when pierced with a knife, 30 to 40 minutes. Drain and remove skins, holding potatoes in a kitchen towel while peeling. Cut into 1/4 inch slices and keep warm in a bowl.

2. Combine cukes, onion, broth, 1 tblsp vinegar, butter, salt and pepper and heat to boiling over medium high heat. Boil, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Pour hot mixture over potatoes and toss gently to coat. Check seasoning; add more vinegar and salt to taste.

3. Garnish with tomatoes and herbs. Goes well with sausage or pork.

Graphic designer Rhonda Busing approximated amounts for this classic version she learned from her mother.

Rhonda’s Potato Salad

2 and 1/2 lbs. red-skinned potatoes, boiled
3 stalks celery, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup sweet pickles or relish
5 or 6 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise (at least)
1 tblsp white vinegar
sugar, salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients. Correct seasoning.

Until next time, when, maybe, I’ll lay the groundwork for my Philosophy of Chocolate, eat well.