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Red White and Blue Potato Salad for the 4th of July
I love potato
salad, preferably tangy sweet-sour potato salad without a lot of glubby
mayonnaise.
Fourth of July,
Independence Day, backyard “barbecues” in my childhood always included potato
salad. I thought it must be the most American, and patriotic, of dishes. Hot
dogs, after all, are actually Germanic sausages. Frankfurters were named for
the West German city of Frankfurt, wieners for the Austrian city of Vienna. And
hamburgers were named for the North German city of Hamburg.
Of course, later I
learned that potato salad is a specialty throughout central and northern
Europe, from Germany to Sweden to Russia and all points in between. Ah well!
For fun, I now
make Fourth of July potato salad in the colors of red, white and blue. That’s
not to be confused with the French national colors “bleu, blanc et rouge”
(blue, white and red), or the Russian colors, white, blue and red.
When I began this
culinary prank, I used small red-skinned potatoes and purple-blue potatoes. But
the red skins cook to a weak pinkish tan and the blue potatoes fade to pale
violet. That’s pretty wimpy for the Fourth of July.
Now I go bold, as
our national honor dictates: red from diced or sliced beets and blue from
blueberries to perk up the white of the potatoes. The beets are stirred into
the salad briefly before serving so they don’t stain it pink. Pink potato and
beet salad is a specialty in Sweden and Russia, especially around the winter
holidays.
The trick for
making good potato salad is proper simmering, not hard boiling, of the potatoes
to achieve firmness yet without an under-cooked crunch.
The recipe serves
6 to 10 as a side dish or appetizer.
3 pounds
small-medium yellow-skinned or russet potatoes
1 large fresh beet
or equivalent in canned whole beets
1/4 cup minced
onion
4 tablespoons
mayonnaise (“real” mayonnaise works best)
4 tablespoons
white vinegar
2 tablespoons
sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons
salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon
ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh
blueberries
In large,
uncovered pan with plenty of water, bring potatoes just to a simmer over medium
heat. Do not boil them or cover the pan. If water begins boiling, pour in a
little cold water to slow it. Swirl the pan occasionally to gently move the
potatoes around. After 10-12 minutes, start testing a potato for doneness by
piercing with a toothpick. Continue simmering until potatoes are just tender.
Remove from the heat. Drain and cool.
In a separate pan
of water, boil the raw beet, if used, unpeeled. When tender when pierced with
toothpick, let it cool. Peel it. Alternatively, use canned whole beets of
roughly similar total volume to a large beet. Cut in small dice, or if small
canned beets, slice them 1/8 inch thick. Season with a little salt and 1
teaspoon of vinegar. Set aside.
Peel potatoes.
Slice them 1/4 inch thick, first cutting in half lengthwise if large. Place in
a large bowl for easy mixing.
Mince onion. Mix it
in a small bowl with mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper until
mayonnaise breaks up.
Stir mixture into
potatoes, mixing gently with a large spoon or hands (use plastic gloves). Let
sit for 10 minutes. Mix again and taste. If necessary, add salt, vinegar and/or
sugar. The taste should be slightly salty (the potato will absorb more) and tangy
sweet-sour.
Potato salad is
best if made in advance and refrigerated a few hours or up to several days.
Shortly before serving, stir again. Taste and add salt, if needed. Stir in diced beets (drained) and part of blueberries. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with remaining blueberries.
