Another recipe: Garden Potato Salad

all about that terroir :)

I have a friend who thinks I make the best potato salad in the world. Everyone deserves such a friend, but I believe it’s because he just happened by when we had fresh potatoes from the garden.

Anyone who has a small backyard garden knows that it’s prime real estate, and tough decisions must be made when it comes to planting. Half a bed of potatoes means less room for other goodies. But the unique flavor of a fresh potato more than makes up for that real estate loss – a sweetness you would never find in a grocery store potato and then layers of subtle earth. Almost like a wine grape, it seems to absorb and reflect its unique terroir.

I have idyllic memories of fresh potatoes from my grandparents’ Alabama garden – small, red skinned, gently washed and then simmered with green beans and a piece of fatback (aka Southern cooking magic). It’s potatoes like these that also turn potato salad into something that someone could proclaim, “The Best in the World!” So I incite you to grow your potatoes or scour your markets just as summer’s heat begins its steady march. There’s plenty at ours right now – thank goodness! Catch my simple but delicious recipe below these postscripts.

P.S. Clearly, potato salad is the perfect pairing for so many grilled foods. In case you missed it last summer, here’s my newsletter about my love for good ol’ barbecue chicken (and a recipe!) and wine pairings to match. Those wines would pair equally well with burgers, ribs, you name it!

P.P.S. If you are just picking up the Grape to Table newsletter, thanks so much for joining to learn more about wine, food, and life. There’s lots to read – from my origin story (click here to read) to fun content focused on meaningful time at the table with delicious wine and food. For now, my newsletter is free and you can find all the content by clicking here – basically a little Grape to Table website created by the great folks at Substack. I did realize recently that you only see the various categories of past newsletters if you open this link in a browser (rather than the Substack app). It’s a shame because the categories make it easy to find content you might be interested in…so here are some more embedded links! Click here for Wine Tips. Click here for Recipes. Click here for Q & As. And click here to learn about my wine club! As always I really appreciate when you hit the like button as it helps get the content in front of more people :) and spread the joy of wine and food!

Garden Potato Salad

1 ½ quarts chopped red or gold potatoes (about 12 medium potatoes, halved then quartered)

¼ cup kosher salt

1 ½ cups mayonnaise, preferably Duke’s

3 tablespoons whole grain mustard

6 tablespoons sweet pickle relish, preferably Wickles

1 ½ teaspoons dried dill (use more if using fresh dill!)

1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Dash of hot sauce

1 ½ cups finely chopped celery

Fill a large pot with about a gallon of water. Add potatoes and salt. Bring to a boil and cook potatoes until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into a colander. Transfer potatoes to a large baking dish or sheet pan to cool to room temperature. If you are in a rush you can cool in the refrigerator.

Combine mayonnaise, mustard, relish, dill, pepper, and hot sauce in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add cooled potatoes and chopped celery and stir gently to combine (try not to break up the potatoes) too much.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to enjoy. Like a lot of such salads, it’s even better on the second day!

Yield: 2 quarts, 8 to 10 serving