There are many different kinds of potato salad. Depending on where you’re from around the world, or even in the Unites States, your thoughts of what goes into a potato salad will be different from what someone else is used to. That’s why when I was in my America’s Regional Cuisines class we tried potato salads from different regions to see the stark difference between each one. Out of all the potato salads I had though, I would have to say my favorite one was from the Chesapeake Bay Shore region. So let me introduce you to the recipe we followed to make this smashed redskin potato salad.
Page 218 of the book America’s Regional Cuisines, has a fairly unique recipe for potato salad. At least, unique from my perspective as I hadn’t made a potato salad the way this recipe does. See, the recipe has you do something different by having you boil the potatoes whole, then you dice them for your salad once they are cooked and cooled, rather then cutting them and then cooking them (as I’m used to). If I’m being honest, I’m not really sure why they have you do this, but I followed these directions nonetheless.
Another element of this recipe that I found interesting was how the main ingredient for this salad (other than potatoes, of course), was dill pickles. We had not only diced dill pickles in the salad, but used the juice from the pickles as well. It really made the pickles the star of the show (so if you don’t like pickles, I would not recommend using this recipe for your next potato salad endeavor).
The recipe was straightforward and easy to follow; it didn’t take much time at all to make (the longest step was simply waiting for the potatoes to finish cooking). And the best part was that you get to eat it immediately after it’s done (most recipes I use have you chill the salad because it is best served cold).
Of course, this wasn’t something my family was used to (eating room temperature potato salad), so if we were to make any changes we would definitely chill it before eating. That, and while the recipe has good flavor, the star of the show really is the pickles (even overpowering the potato at times) so we would decrease the amount of pickle juice in the recipe (maybe even exclude it all together and decrease the amount of mayonnaise as well) so that we can taste the potato more.
With these changes in mind, I think this dish is a good one to bring to a family gathering or potluck. It makes plenty to share and is a quick dish to whip up in no time at all. I like potato salad and I like pickles, so if you are like me and enjoy those two things I say you should give this recipe a try and have family/friends nearby ready to help you eat it all!
