There was a wonderful little hole-in-the-wall Bar B Q place… I hesitate to call it a restaurant because it was more like a take out…but there were two tables with chairs ….which most people used as a place to sit and wait for their to go dinners.
There was a wonderful African American couple who ran the place and they must have been in their 60’s or 70’s …and their Bar B Q could be smelled all day long from their ever smoking outdoor smoker. Every one loved their Bar B Q Ribs and sides.
On one of my late evening visits to the little place….it was unusually quiet, and I was the only one waiting on food to be packaged for take out. The older lady (wife) came and sat with me…. her rotund stature was covered with a blue flowered dress and white apron… which showed glimpses of a few of the stains from her day of cooking.
I started with small talk but then I found the courage to ask her for recipes and she gave me several. I was surprised that she so readily gave them to me, …perhaps she was so tired that she didn’t care to play games of secret recipes.
Nothing was written down and I was young enough to be able to remember each and every ingredient as she rattled the ingredients from her own memory. And I have been making those recipes for the last 40 some years.
One of my favorite recipes is Potato Salad and that is the recipe I am going to share with you now. I have garnished it with smoked paprika and chopped green scallions! The printable recipe is below.
- 5-6 Idaho Potatoes
- 4 hard boiled eggs
- 3/4 cup of chopped onion
- 1/2 cup of sweet pickle relish
- 1 cup of miracle whip salad dressing
- 1 tablespoon of yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- Smoked or regular paprika for garnish
- Boil the potatoes in salted water or cook in microwave until tender.
- Peel the potatoes (skin comes off very easily while potatoes are still warm)
- Using a hand grater, shred the cooled potatoes and put in a large bowl
- Shred the hard cooked eggs leaving one for garnish if desired and add to the bowl of potatoes
- Salt and pepper to taste. I like lots of black pepper. Set aside
- Make the dressing by adding the chopped onion, sweet pickle relish, miracle whip salad dressing and mustard to a small bowl and mix well.
- Add the sugar and the vinegar, mixing well.
- Add the dressing to the potatoes and eggs and carefully fold in, using a fork. If the potatoes are too warm...you will be making mashed potato salad and that is not the texture we are looking for.
- Place potato salad in the fridge and chill for at least two hours.
- I love the tangy taste of the sweet and savory resulting from the sugar and the vinegar. When I was given this recipe, I had to ask twice if vinegar and sugar were ingredients....now, I wouldn't think of making potato salad without those two ingredients. I have experimented with chopped celery and dill pickle relish and that is good, but I prefer the simplicity of the above original ingredients. I keep tasting as I mix...to make sure of the right combination....ok, I taste because I love this recipe! 🙂 I wish that wonderful African American lady was alive today so I could properly thank her for the satisfaction this recipe has given me over the years....lots of compliments too!
It sounds very similar to the potato salad I make, except for the mustard.
The sugar and vinegar really make this potato salad “zing”. Thanks Sandy