Julia's American-Style Potato Salad |
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Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 0 Minutes |
Ready In: 0 Minutes Servings: 6 |
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Ingredients:
2 pounds large yukon gold potatoes, or other waxy, boiling potatoes |
2 tablespoons cider vinegar |
1/3 cup chicken stock or potato-cooking water |
2/3 cup finely chopped onion |
1/2 cup finely chopped celery |
3 or 4 slices crisply cooked bacon, chopped or crumbled |
2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped pickle, sweet or dill |
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced thin |
3 tablespoons or so finely chopped fresh chives or scallions, including a bit of their tender green |
salt and freshly ground white pepper |
1 cup or so mayonnaise, homemade if possible |
sour cream (optional) |
crisp whole red-leaf or other lettuce leaves |
canned red pimiento, diced; sliced hard-boiled eggs; tomato quarters; parsley sprigs (optional) |
Directions:
1. Peel the potatoes and slice each one lengthwise in half, or in quarters if very large; then cut crosswise into half-round or quarter-round slices, about 1/2 inch thick.
2. Put the slices in a saucepan with water just to cover and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt per quart of water. Heat to a simmer, and cook the potatoes for 5 to 6 minutes, or until just cooked through. It is essential that they be just cooked through. Bite into a slice or two to be very sure. Immediately remove from the heat and drain the potatoes into a colander, but save a cup of the cooking liquid for dressing the potatoes. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl. Stir the cider vinegar with ⅓ cup of the potato water or chicken stock and drizzle this over the potato pieces, turning them gently to distribute it evenly. Let sit 10 minutes to absorb the liquid.
3. Add the prepared onion, celery, bacon, pickle, hard-boiled eggs, and chives, and season carefully to taste. Top with ⅔ cup of mayonnaise (or a mix of mayonnaise and a bit of sour cream) and, with a large rubber spatula, gently fold everything together until well blended. Taste the salad and add more salt, pepper, or mayonnaise as needed.
4. Cover the salad and set aside in the refrigerator for at least an hour or so before serving. If it is refrigerated longer, let it come back to room temperature before serving. Taste and adjust the seasoning again.
5. To serve, line a bowl or a platter with red-leaf lettuce or other greens, and mound the salad on top. Decorate at the last moment, if you wish, with any or all of the optional garnishes.
6. Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home by Julia Child and Jacques Pepin. Copyright © 1999 by Julia Child and Jacques Pepin. Published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Julia Child was born in Pasadena, California. She graduated from Smith College and worked for the OSS during WWII; afterwards she lived in Paris, studied at the Cordon Bleu, and taught cooking with Simone Beck and Louisette Bartholle, with whom she wrote the first volume of Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961). In 1963 Boston's WGBH launched The French Chef television series, which made Julia Child a national celebrity, earning her the Peabody Award in 1965 and an Emmy in 1966; subsequent public television shows were Julia Child & Company (1978), Julia Child & More Company (1980)both of which were accompanied by cookbooksand Dinner at Julia's (1983), followed by Cooking with Master Chefs (1993), In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs (1995), and her collaboration with Jacques Pépin, Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home (1999). The 40th anniversary edition of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1 was published in 2001.Jacques Pépin, celebrated host of award-winning cooking shows on National Public Television, master chef, food columnist, cooking teacher, and author of nineteen cookbooks, was born in Bourg-en-Bresse, near Lyon. His first exposure to cooking was as a child in his parents' restaurant, Le Pelican. At thirteen years of age, he began his formal apprenticeship at the distinguished Grand Hotel de L'Europe in his hometown. He subsequently worked in Paris, training under Lucien Diat at the famed Plaza Athenee. From 1956 to 1958, Mr. Pépinwas the personal chef to three French heads of state, including Charles de Gaulle. A former columnist for the New York Times, Mr. Pépin writes a quarterly column for Food & Wine. He also participates regularly in the magazine's prestigious Food & Wine Classic in Aspen and at other culinary festivals and fund-raising events worldwide. In addition, he is a popular guest on such commercial TV programs as The Late Show with David Letterman, The Today Show, and Good Morning America. Mr. Pépin is the recipient of two of the French government's highest honors: he is the Chevalier de L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (1997) and a Chevalier de L'Ordre du Merite Agricole (1992). He is also the Dean of Special Programs at The French Culinary Institute of Wine and Food, a member of the IACP, and is on the board of trustees of The James Beard Foundation. He and his wife, Gloria, live in Madison, Connecticut.
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