My mother’s potato salad is legendary (in our family). My mom is German and my father used to say: In WWII, if the Germans had bombed with your mother’s potato salad, they would have won the war! Yes my father was prone to hyperbole (Some would say: like father, like son), but the truth is that mom’s potato salad is fantastic and a great addition to a summer supper club menu.
Like many great family dishes, the recipe is somewhat unique tothe author. The truth is that my mom makes this dish a little different every time. She uses the same basic formula, but will taste as she goes along and add something here and there to get it the way she wants it. Sometimes she will add lemon juice, sometimes not. Sometimes she will add a little mustard, sometimes not. It isn’t that she is being secretive, it’s just that flavors vary. She knows what she wants it to taste like and has a few tricks to get the results she wants.
You can ask Mom’s 6 grandkids what is their favorite dish that mom-mom makes at the beach and potato salad is way up on the list. As stated, the potato salad is legendary, but there is also the fact that dish brings them back to the great memories of their youth, growing up at their grandmother’s beach house.
My father claimed that coffee and tea tasted better in a glass cup. The truth is that he remembered having tea at my mother’s mom’s lake house when my mom and dad were first married. Tea and coffee in a glass cup reminded him of the good times and of course, the memories made things taste better.
Mom’s potato salad is more than great memories. It is great. Here is the potato salad recipe. There are some basics that she does that are different and repeatable. For one, she marinates the potatoes first:
Check out the video of the prep and marination.
There are also some tricks in her final dressing of the potato salad
Check out the video on her final dressing
After we made the video, mom continued to taste her potato salad and couldn’t help herself and commented “Boy this is good!”.
Check out the potato salad recipe
We enjoyed the potato salad along with a menu of other salads as part of our Home and Away series of visits with our daughters in-laws. Every summer we visit my mom in Westhampton and Helene and Rick live in Montauk which is the east-end of the Hamptons. We are only 40 miles apart but with summer traffic it can take two hours. No matter what it is always fun with the grandkids, good food and great times.
Check out the video of the pre-meal festivities
Helene & Rick Menu
Appetizers
- Roasted Pepper Rolatinis With Salami, Goat Cheese And Pesto
- Smoked Salmon Spread Canapés
Salads
- Curry Chicken With Apple, Toasted Pine Nuts, Raisins and Fresh Dill
- Mom Mom’s Legendary Potato Salad
- Caprese With Tomato, Fresh Mozzarella, Pesto and Basil
- Grilled Peaches With Creamy Blue Cheese And A Balsamic Glaze
- Poached Asparagus With Olive Oil, Red Wine Vinegar, Pepper & Onion
Dessert
- Peach Cobbler Tart With Vanilla Ice Cream
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