Sandy's Potato Salad

Years ago, my mom and I took a cooking demonstration class at a Viking School. One week of the class was dedicated to potato salads-- all different types of salads. Some were entree salads with ingredients like pulled pork and flank steak and others were traditional side dishes like one based on a loaded baked potato with thick-cut bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, and green onions. Yum. That was the best. I have long since lost the pamphlet of recipes that we brought home from that class, but I still remember the yummy salad concoctions.

I didn't actually start making potato salad on a regular basis, though, until I tried Sean's mother's potato salad. Sean's mother, Sandy, is a great cook and she loves teaching others her recipes. I have learned so many things from her and make many of her recipes on a regular basis. I hope to pass these recipes onto Hadley one day when she is older.

Sandy's potato salad is loaded with ingredients that I love, like green olives, boiled eggs, celery, green onions, and flat-leaf parsley. And, the kicker is that instead of an all mayonnaise base, she uses mayonnaise and a little bit of canola or olive oil. There's no mustard, either. That would be wrong. And, since she is from New Orleans, she spices it up with lots of Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning. It's a must for just about any dish she cooks. We use Tony's in just about everything, too.

I don't really have a recipe for this salad since it's more a method than a science, but essentially, you boil some potatoes and a few eggs. Let both cool slightly. Then peel the potatoes and eggs, cut the potatoes into cubes, mash the eggs, and while the potatoes are still warm, mix in the eggs, vegetables, mayo, and oil. Just add the fillings until you get the salad to the consistency that you like. If you like tons of olives and just a few onions in your salad, that's fine. Then, season to taste with black pepper and Tony's. Tony's is mainly salt, so go easy on the salt if you add any.

Enjoy!