Recipe Time!!

You say you need something to take to that picnic? Here's your thing. You want it to sit for awhile so the flavors can marry, so make it the night before or start early in the day.

Beanie’s Horseradish Redskin Potato Salad

This will make your insides smile.

Ingredients:

3-5 pounds of redskin potatoes, diced
1 big, beautiful, sweet Vidalia onion[1], chopped
5-6 slices of bacon, cut thick, fried super-crisp and crumbled[2]
5-6 Tablespoons Mayonnaise[3]
2 Tablespoons of brown horseradish mustard[4]
2 Tablespoons of dill pickle relish[5]
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped[6]
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Instructions

Cook the potatoes until just fork tender and then rinse them immediately in cold water to chill. If you let them sit out to cool they get mushy and nobody likes mushy potato salad.

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While the potatoes are cooling, I would recommend making yourself a Bloody Mary. Why? Because they are just the thing to sip on while making potato salad. You say it’s too early in the day? Well, consider this: You’re about to sample a dish that has bacon, eggs and potatoes in it. With the tomato juice it’s a Full English breakfast. So dig in!

2 oz of tomato juice or V-8
½ teaspoon of Emeril’s Cajun Essence[7]
2-3 drops of green Tabasco
2 oz of really tasty Vodka
1 large, thick, crisp, crunchy stalk of celery, ice-cold
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Are the potatoes cool yet? Don't get so engaged in the bloody mary that you forget about the potato salad!

Great. Now toss the potatoes and everything else in a large bowl, stir it to mix, and season with black pepper. Viola!


[1] If you cannot find Vidalia, resist the temptation to use regular yellow onions. They just don’t do the job. Forget this and go make a batch of Nina Simons’ Thai Peanut Noodles instead. It’s probably healthier for you anyway.

[2] Yes; the bacon does take away from my normally vegetarian leanings. But you know, sometimes you need a little pork fat to make things taste good. Besides, doncha just love the way their little eyes liht up when they set down their beers and say "Cool! Hey Joe, she put BACON in it!"

[3] NOT Miracle Whip! What the hell is wrong with you??

[4] There are several on the market – adjust the seasoning by the horseradish-y-ness of the product. If need be, you can sub a tablespoon of decent brown mustard and a tablespoon of horseradish, but I don’t think it’s as good.

[5] Don’t be tempted to sub sweet pickle relish for this. Sweet pickles are the devil’s handiwork. Hey, you know that bottle of capers you bought for that dish you made last Christmas? Throw those in the potato salad. I bet they’d be good and it’s not like you’re going to use them for anything else, right?

[6] Yes, as a matter of fact, it IS a little heavy on the cholesterol. It's potato salad for chrissakes! It's not supposed to be good for you!

[7] If you don’t have any, you can make up a quick batch by combining 3 Tablespoons paprika, 2 Tablespoons each of salt and garlic powder, and 1 Tablespoon each of black pepper, onion powder, cayenne, dried oregano and dried thyme. Shake it up and put it in a zip-loc for later.