What is Summer without Potato Salad?

Hanneke Eerden

    What’s summer without potato salad recipes? You should have those recipes, yes indeed more than one! So many varieties for so many different dishes, but they’re all delicious! My favorites aren’t vinegar based. I like creamy potato salads, like the one I’ll show you today: Creamy Potato Salad with Shrimps.

   The success of a potato salad is determined by two main choices you have to make before you start:

   – The potato: it all starts with choosing the right potato. It should be a firm, tasty potato, you can’t use fluffy ones because then you’ll end up with a potato mess instead of the firm salad you had in mind. Yukon Gold, Russet or any red potato is perfect for this.

   – The dressing: make a choice if you want a vinegar based or a creamy dressing. And with creamy I don’t always mean that you should use mayonnaise. Yogurt for instance or sour cream can work out great too.

   Once you made these choices, then you can think of what else you want to add. Some ideas: bacon, bell pepper, apple, cheese (firm or soft), eggs and of course all kinds of herbs and seasonings. Don’t be afraid of composing your own signature dish, it’s easier than you think!

   My mother taught me how to make a success of salads like these, for instance, if you boil the potatoes one day ahead and keep them in the fridge they will stay more firm. But you can also finish the complete recipe and then keep in the fridge. That will help the flavors to develop and make it tastier. But sometimes I’m stubborn, and I decide I want a salad for dinner the same day. Or worse, within 2 hours!  It is possible, don’t panic if that happens to you. Just follow this recipe and the good thing about it is that you can serve it cold or slightly warm. Both are delicious and you can proudly present this potato salad to your loved ones!

What do you need?

½   lb peeled large shrimps
1    teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
      Olive oil
1.5 lb unpeeled Russet potatoes
¼   cup dry white wine
      About 10 small tomatoes, cut into half
10 basil leaves, sliced
1 scallion, thinly sliced (only the green part)
    About 10 slices peperoni, cut into stripes
1 tablespoon mustard
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried chili flakes (optional)
    Salt/pepper

   Boil the unpeeled potatoes for about 30 minutes (I like my potatoes not too soft), drain and peel them (careful, hot!). Cut them into pieces and drizzle with the white wine.

   Then, mix the shrimps with the seasoning and some oil, and grill them for a few minutes (until they turn pink). Let them cool, and cut them in half.

   Mix all the other ingredients, and add this including the shrimps to the potatoes as soon as they have cooled. Be careful not to stir too much. You can serve this right away or keep it in the fridge for the next day.

   As Always ~ Bon Appetit!

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