The Cure for Boring Potato Salad

In the South, we have the distinction of having some of the best food anywhere on the planet, whether served commercially or on most Southern home tables.

We have the advantage of the melding of so many different, flavorful cuisines by the region’s early settlers. Any subtlety the French, British and Scottish influences may have had were overshadowed when they blended with African, American Indian, and Spanish influences that were bursting with flavor - thank the Lord, the lard, and Epicurious for that. 

We like our food to jump up off the plate and smack you right in the mouth, sometimes just a tap, sometimes like Mohammed Ali, often with a left-hook or a late hit, but always a direct, intentional swing at the tastebuds, every plate having a star as well as a delicious supporting cast.

We like it fresh and bold. Southern food, music, and hospitality are legend, points of pride for us, and the things visitors to the region most always mention when they talk about their visits here.  

Growing up the child of a German mother, aunts, uncles, and grandparents, (Whew! That’s a whole ‘nother story!), I thought that German potato salad WAS potato salad. The sweet, the sour, the eggs. THE BACON.

Heavenly. Honestly, there’s German food I can easily live without, but the potato salad is not one of them.

I distinctly remember, as a small, aspiring food snob, attending different, otherwise quite satisfactory, church and neighborhood gatherings that most always included a meal. Vicksburg had some wonderful cooks back in the day, and I was lucky enough to have slung up at the tables of some of the best of them. I can still taste the fried chicken, and Oh my God, the homemade ravioli (a recipe I never got and would kill for). And the homemade rolls, candies, and desserts, the reason stretch pants were invented.

Oh, My Groceries!

Then there was the potato salad. Sigh. It was bland, it was drippy, often yellow, and, THERE WAS NO BACON. To my mind, a waste of good potatoes. Of all the incredible dishes, it was so… blah.  I didn’t understand. I recall getting the don’t-you-say-a-word look from my Mother when the potato salad was passed. I finally got used to regular, non-German potato salad, but even now it seems to be a missed opportunity.

Many years later, Lord knows where I ran across a potato salad recipe I knew even as I read it would be killer. Sure enough, I’ve made it dozens of times. It is different, delicious, and worth every stinkin’ carb. It is a great accompaniment for just about any casual meal or stuffed in new potatoes as an hors d’oeuvre. And it is German Mother Approved - she loved it!

With the addition of a spicy vinaigrette and pork, it’s almost an homage to her German potato salad.

I am happy to share this and hope that it will save you from having to disappoint any finicky urchins, or other guests, with sad, unremarkable potato salad. And for all else, Lord, I apologize.

Ham & Swiss Potato Salad

3 lb. bag red potatoes
2-3 bunches green onions
1/3 – 1/2 lb. Swiss Cheese (good quality, like Sargento or better)
1/3 – ½ lb. ham (good quality, thinly sliced)
1 cup or so olive oil or garlic oil
1/3 cup or so red wine vinegar
4-8 oz. whole-grain mustard
Salt & freshly ground Pepper, to taste

Directions

Make this dish an hour or so ahead of time and let sit at room temp until service. It can be made a day or so ahead, just cover and store in the fridge.

Cut potatoes in half leaving the skin on and put in a pot with salted, boiling water. This recipe works best when the potatoes are hot, so prep all the other ingredients as the potatoes are boiling.

Chop the green onions. The Swiss cheese can be cut into thin strips or grated. It sounds a little counterintuitive, but you needn’t break the bank on the ham. Good quality, thinly sliced, pre-packaged deli ham works best, sliced into thin strips.

In a container large enough to hold the whole thing, whisk the olive oil and red wine vinegar. A good ratio is about 3:1 oil to vinegar. Whisk in the whole grain mustard; use about half to start. Peel the ham and Swiss slices apart and set them aside.

When the potatoes are done, drain and dump them on a cutting board, and chop them like you’re Lizzie Borden having a really, really bad day. Maybe not the entire forty whacks, but the potatoes should be roughly chopped and not particularly uniform. This dish works best when the potatoes are hot and cut after they’re cooked.

Dump the hot chopped potatoes into the vinaigrette and mix well. Add the ham strips, the chopped green onions, and toss. Lastly, add the Swiss strips after the mixture has cooled for just a minute - we’re not tryin to make fondue.

Add salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasonings; mix well. More mustard can be added now or later if needed, and more vinegar, too. There really is no way to predict how much the potatoes will absorb or how bold and spicy your mustard is.

Garnish with more chopped green onion, fried green onion, and/or fresh chopped parsley.

Directions For Hors D’Oeuvres

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 3-5 lbs. washed new potatoes on a cookie sheet, spray with Pam and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake until soft.

Make vinaigrette as above. Chop ham, green onions, a little smaller this time. Cheese can be chopped smaller or grated.

When the potatoes are done but still warm, carefully core the potatoes with a knife and throw the scooped portion into the vinaigrette, along with the ham, Swiss, and green onions. Mix well, adjust seasonings, taste.

Spoon mixture into cored new potatoes. Place on cookie sheets, cover, and refrigerate. Heat in a 300-degree oven for 10 minutes, enough to knock the chill off. Garnish with a few extra chopped green onions, fried chopped green onions, and/or fresh parsley.