Potato salad is a staple at summertime picnics, served with everything from hot dogs to roasts and everything in between. Considered a casual-meal side dish that is perfect for serving lots of guests, there is no shortage of recipes to be unearthed, as each country has its own version of this classic picnic staple. The French use vinaigrette; Germans make a warm salad using bacon, onions, and hot vinegar; the Greeks use olive and lemon in their potato salad; and the Italians use olive oil, vinaigrette, beans and olives. Our American version is filled with mayonnaise, mustard and hard-boiled eggs.
Regardless of which version you prefer, the potato salad you enjoy at family picnics is no doubt a time-honored tradition that is often passed down from generations.
If you have a great potato salad recipe, here’s a fun contest that could land you in a cookbook, a trip to the World Food Championships, and a $10,000 grand prize. Reser’s“America’s Best Potato Salad Challenge” is looking for the best potato salad recipes across the nation.
The contest got us thinking about creating our own potato salad recipe . . . after all, it is the summer season. I perused my library of cookbooks looking for inspiration, and decided on creating something that incorporated the flavors of one of our favorite party-time dishes – paella. Our Paella-Inspired Potato Salad features delicious Mulay’s Chorizo (which is available in ground packages) to give it a smoky and rich flavor.
We added a bit of garlic, turmeric, oregano and saffron to round out the traditional paella flavor, and for more substance we slipped in some roasted onions and red peppers. Oh, and there was no rice, just red, white and blue potatoes to create a salad that is great when served warm or at room temperature). It is great for a side dish, but also a meal!
We hope you enjoy our creation, and that it will inspire you to create as well. Whether you’ve a favorite family recipe or enjoy creating a new version, enter your tastiest potato salad recipe by July 31st atwww.AmericasBestPotatoSalad.com.
In addition to our Paella-Inspired Potato Salad, try these favorites:
