Mennonite Monday - Potato Salad

Mennonite Monday started because I wanted to make recipes from the Bethesda Mennonite Church Cookbooks (both the yellow and the white cookbook for those of you who own them). I also wanted to take pictures of each recipe that I made, so I would know for future reference what the recipe should look like. I am by no means a great cook, but I think it will be fun to try new and different recipes each week. Not all of these recipes are for ethnic Mennonite food, but the women from Henderson know how to cook, so I can safely say that these recipes will be good. Check back each Monday for a new recipe and feel free to leave a comment if you have a favorite recipe from these cookbooks, or if you have some tips on what I should make and how I should make it.

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This week the winner was Potato Salad, so I chose the recipe on page 200 of the white church cookbook. Since there are three different recipes, I chose the middle one, which I have made before.

Potato Salad

10 red medium potatoes - boiled
6 hard boiled eggs
1 pint mayonnaise
salt and pepper
4 Tbls mustard
4 dill pickles, chopped
2 Tbls oil
celery salt to taste
chives, optional
2 medium onions, chopped

Peel and slice the potatoes; when warm add 6 hard boiled eggs, sliced; mix lightly with the remaining ingredients. Add 4 Tbls mustard.

I have tried several different ways to make hard boiled eggs. Okay I know it is easy to hard boil eggs because all you need is eggs and water, but I have found it is hard to not under cook or over cook the eggs. This time I used some instructions from the Mennonite Country-Style Recipes, which worked very well.

Place eggs in pan and cover with cold water. Cover pan and heat just to the boiling point. Reduce heat to keep eggs just simmering - not a rolling boil. (Bubbles should just break the surface of the water.) Simmer for 18 minutes. Immediately pour off hot water and run cold water over eggs. Peel in just a few minutes for easier peeling. If eggs are cooked at too high a temperature, are cooked too long, or are not cooled immediately, a dark greenish or grayish coating may form on the outside of the yolk. This is not harmful to eat, but spoils the appearance. Overcooking also toughens the white.

I boiled my potatoes with the skin on. Then when the potatoes are done cooking, the peel just falls off.

This is easier than peeling each potato in my opinion, but you do have to work with hot potatoes.

After the potatoes are peeled, I diced them into small pieces.

Dice the eggs.

I almost never cut onions by hand anymore. Chopping onions in a small food processor is so easy, quick and the onions don't burn your eyes, so you don't even cry.

This recipe uses a full pint of mayo. That is a lot, but that is why it is so creamy.

I also use plain dill relish because it is easier to use than to chop my own pickles.

This recipe makes a big batch, so make sure you are planning to feed a good number of people when you make it or be prepared to eat it for a week.