Food Fare: Which spud's for you? Make a potato salad you'll find delicious.

I grew up eating a mayonnaise-based potato salad that my mother flavored with herbs and salt and pepper. My wife is more partial to a southern-style mustard and mayo potato salad with a dash of paprika.

In her Salon article “Crimes against potato salad: How not to get uninvited from the cookout,” Melanie McFarland describes potato salad as “at once culturally specific and non-specific … a contradictory dish, one that’s in many ways so American but, according to various food historians, came from Europe.”

And in fact, food historians tell us that explorers brought the potato, indigenous to South America, back to their home countries in the Old World, where chefs began boiling them and dressing them up with wine or vinegar and spices. Their descendants brought the tuber and their recipes to North America and it is from these settlers that we get the German version. Eventually mayonnaise got involved and potato salad morphed into the iconic versions that are the mainstay of every barbecue and picnic table in the U.S.A. from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Whatever variety of potato salad you create, there are some key steps that will make the dish more successful:

Use the correct potato: You’ll want a potato that is creamy but holds its shape and can stand up to a bit of handling, yet isn’t so waxy that it won’t absorb your flavors. Yukon gold, red bliss and fingerlings all fit this bill. Russets will work, too, but you have to be very careful not to overcook them. Your potatoes should be smooth, firm and free of sprouts.

Cut the potatoes into equally sized pieces so that they cook consistently: Leaving the skins on can enhance nutrition and flavor when using thin-skinned varieties, but it may reduce the absorption of the dressing. If boiling, start with cold water and bring the potatoes slowly to temperature, so they cook evenly. Salt the water to infuse that flavor inside and out; season potatoes while still a little warm and taste everything along the way.

Cook the potatoes properly: Start testing for doneness after about 10 minutes; when a fork enters cleanly with the slightest bit of resistance, the potatoes are ready. You want the crunch in your potato salad to come from the celery, peppers, onions, relish or other additives, not the potatoes; and severely undercooked potatoes can pose some digestive risks. On the other hand, if you want mashed potatoes (the result of overcooking), by all means dress them up with butter and cream, not mayonnaise, mustard and pickle relish.

Drain the potatoes well to get rid of any excess moisture: The same applies to veggies and other additives. Cool the potatoes before adding dressing so that the dressing doesn’t separate, leaving you with an oily mess. And don’t over dress your potato salad — it should be creamy, not runny

Warm potato salads taste best on the day they’re made but the flavor of cold potato salads intensifies with time, so feel free to make your dish a day or two ahead. Add fresh herbs and spices at serving time for ultimate flavor combinations.

Fresh potato salads can be refrigerated in an airtight container for several days but the remainders of potato salads that have been out on the picnic table for several hours should be discarded. You can help keep your salad fresh by placing the bowl in a container full of ice. Potato salads cannot be frozen.

Over the past several weeks I’ve taken a look at dozens of recipes for potato salads, from the classic to the adventuresome, and if there is anything that I learned it’s that people are passionate about this dish. Specifically, they are passionate about their particular version, often the one they grew up with.

In the above article McFarland goes on to state: “None of this is meant to dismiss the personal value of Nana’s Potato Salad, by the way, even if it does include the dubious combination of raisins, rosemary and dill. I would never begrudge my friends who grew up with their mother’s or grandmother’s crème fraiche-based versions, or a German potato salad, one with a vinegar base and a few other spices, their love for their family’s food. It simply isn’t what I consider to be potato salad, and please don’t be insulted if I don’t roll my eyes in ecstasy after one bite. And pretty please, with celery leaves on top, don’t bring it to my house."

If you’re not comfortable straying from the family recipe, no problem. But personally I view my potato salads the way I view my music: I have my favorites, but I’m open to trying almost every genre. For this week’s column, I bring you four recipes to consider.

The first isn’t strictly a potato salad — it’s a southwestern salad with roasted sweet potatoes and an avocado-cilantro dressing served up in a baked tortilla salad bowl. You can serve this one up for dinner but it would also make a wonderful build-your-own salad for a picnic brunch. Simply provide the baked tortilla bowls and ingredients and let folks choose their own.

The second is a warm potato salad dressed in a garlicky-honey-vinegar-lemon-spiced mustard vinaigrette with medium boiled eggs and pecans and topped with fresh herbs. It was a little tangy, a little spicy, a little crunchy and a little sweet. In other words, warm and comforting.

For those who don’t like mayonnaise, I have a Greek-style potato salad with a yogurt based dressing. The potatoes were perfectly cooked, yogurt gave the dish a tangy bite while dill and olives provide an earthy overtone and mint added a little sweetness.

And finally, I give you a fairly classic southern style potato salad with hard boiled eggs, a mayo and mustard dressing, some crunchy celery and sweet onion and a dash of pickle relish.

All four salads were very different from each other but very satisfying and got good reviews from this week’s taste testers.

And if your palate is open and you are looking for more varieties to grace those summer picnic tables (and even your winter tables), there are more varieties out there. Next up I’m checking out the recipes that Susan Russo put together for a piece called “Rethinking Potato Salad” for NPR. Lemon Grass and Ginger, Arugula Pesto, a String Bean and Potato Salad with Prosciutto and a Patriotic Potato Salad with red, white and blue potatoes perfect for next year’s Fourth of July. After that who knows — the possibilities may keep me busy for months.

Southwest Sweet Potato Tortilla Salad Bowls with Avocado Cilantro Dressing

Source: nordicware.com.

2-3 large flour tortillas

For the Roasted Sweet Potatoes:

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into small cubes

1-2 teaspoons olive oil

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon paprika

Salt and pepper

For the Cilantro Avocado Dressing:

Half of a large avocado

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

1/2 cup water (plus more if needed)

1 cup cilantro leaves and stems

1 small clove of garlic

Juice of half of lime

1 teaspoon honey

Salt and pepper to taste

For the salad:

1 14-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

½ -1 cup frozen fire roasted corn

1-2 cups chopped romaine (enough to fill 3 bowls)

½-1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1-2 radishes, thinly sliced

Toppings:

Pepitas

Feta cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place flour tortilla inside Tortilla Bowl Maker and push down to create mold shape. Bake on center rack for about 15 minutes or until the tortilla starts to brown. NOTE: if you have more than one Tortilla Bowl Maker, bake them all at the same time for 15 minutes. Move the bowl makers around halfway through if needed. Remove them immediately and place on a cooling grid to completely cool and harden.

2. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. In a bowl, mix together sweet potatoes, olive oil, spices, salt and pepper until sweet potatoes are completely coated. Place on a quarter sheet and roast until tender and browned, 20-25 minutes.

3. While sweet potatoes are roasting, make the dressing. Add all dressing ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

4. Once everything is ready, build salad in tortilla bowls. Layer lettuce, beans, corn, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, slices of radish, pepitas and feta cheese. Drizzle with dressing and enjoy.

Columnist’s notes:

If you don’t have a Tortilla Bowl Maker, never fear, simply “flute” your tortilla inside an oven proof vessel (I used a 6-inch springform pan) and bake it that way.

You can enhance the flavor of the tortilla by brushing it lightly with oil and sprinkling with herbs or spices

The salad ingredients are just a starting point, I sliced up the remaining avocado and added it to our salads, you could also add diced cucumber or bell pepper or whatever sounds good to you.

Warm Potato Salad

Source: Tayo Ola, BuzzFeed Tasty

3 pounds mini potatoes, washed

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

4 eggs, medium boiled

⅔ cup walnuts or pecans

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons French's spicy brown mustard

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

½ teaspoon honey

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup olive oil

3 scallions, thinly sliced on a bias

Fresh basil leaf, a handful

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Spread potatoes out on a sheet tray. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roll potatoes around so that they are all coated. Roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned and tender. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes.

3. Use a fork to lightly crush half of the potatoes, then transfer all of them to a bowl. Set aside.

4. Cut the eggs into quarters. Set aside.

5. Roughly chop the nuts. Add to the bowl with the potatoes.

6. Whisk together garlic,spicy brown mustard, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, honey, salt, and olive oil. Pour dressing over potatoes and toss well.

7. Fold in scallions and basil, reserving a little of each. Carefully fold in half of the eggs, then scatter the rest of the eggs on top along with the reserved scallions and basil.

Greek Yogurt Potato Salad

Source: by Emma Laperruque, Food 52, May 20, 2019

2 pounds red potatoes (5-6 ounces each)

6 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chopped dill, plus its finely chopped stems

1/2 cup chopped mint

1/2 cup pitted, torn (or roughly chopped) oil-cured olives

1. Bring a large pot of water (figure about 6 quarts) to a boil. When it starts to simmer, season it with 6 tablespoons kosher salt (I estimate 1 tablespoon kosher salt per quart water).

2. While that’s heating up, cut the potatoes into eighths — or whatever fraction will give you roughly equally sized potato pieces. Add the potato pieces to the boiling water, then adjust the heat to a simmer. (Simmering, not boiling, the potatoes means they’re less likely to fall apart.) Cook until the potatoes are just knife-tender (they’ll continue to cook a bit out of the water), starting to check frequently after 10 minutes. When they’re done, drain the potatoes into a colander, rinse with cold water to cool, then let them drain until dry.

3. While the potatoes are cooking, combine the yogurt and olive oil in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add the herbs and olives on top (no need to stir yet).

4. When the potatoes are cool, add them to the bowl with the yogurt. Stir as gently as possible, taking care to not mash the potatoes. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.

5. You can serve right away or stick it in the fridge for later.

Southern Style Mustard Potato Salad Recipe

Source: It’s Yummi

2 pounds russet potatoes peeled and cubed (4-5 potatoes)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

5 large eggs hard-boiled, peeled and smashed lightly with a fork

2 stalks celery finely diced

1 small Vidalia onion finely minced

1/2 cup dill pickle relish plus 2 tablespoons juice

2 1/2 tablespoons yellow mustard (or creole style for extra kick)

1/4-1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 teaspoon salt (more or less to suit your taste)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper (more or less to suit your taste)

Hungarian paprika for garnish

1. Add 4 quarts of water to a 6-quart pot and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Add potatoes and salt and cook until potatoes are just starting to fall apart, about 10 minutes..

2. Drain potatoes well in a colander and return them to hot pan for a minute to dry out excess water.

3. Place the potatoes, eggs, celery, onion, pickle relish and juice into a large mixing bowl.

4. Add half of the mustard and mayonnaise and stir well to combine.

5. Add enough of remaining mixture to give the potato salad a creamy consistency, but not too wet.

6. Add salt and pepper, adjusting to taste if needed.

7. Refrigerate until ready to serve. The longer it sits, the more the flavors will meld together.

8. Just before serving, sprinkle with paprika.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Correct spuds, techniques will make any potato salad more delicious