Warm Potato Salad

I've made this salad three times now and I feel that I have finally got it the way I like it ... you need to make it and make it your own. So here you go ... so simple, so good, so perfect with any roasted ham or fish fry or grilled chicken (put some tarragon in the dressing for the salad sitting beside chicken!) or steaks. My,my,my!

I make this salad 'by guess and by gosh', as my Mom would say. I eyeball how many potatoes I need for the number of folks eating and then play with the amount of dressing to toss in. I'll give you servings for four ... how's that?

The key to this salad is: red skinned potatoes, use shallots and fresh flat leaf parsley and plenty of black pepper and kosher salt, DO put in two hard-boiled eggs, and DO eat it warm. I make it ahead of the meat and vegetable dishes and let it sit on the counter to 'work the flavors'. Then, I 'zap' it in the microwave for just a quick warm-up before putting it on the table. Got all that?

Last night, I had big fillets of hake. I dipped them in cornmeal and spices, fried them up ala 'fish fry', and made a dish of tartar sauce for dipping. We had fresh roasted asparagus and this warm potato salad to 'go with' - like a picnic supper only in our dining room! Perfect after a day of gardening, laundry, errands, and minding the new kitties that were born at our house night before last ! What? I didn't mention that we have new kitties 'mewing' and squirming about ? SOOO exciting!

Opey with her two wee kitties ...

Don't you just LOVE springtime?!?

Leftovers for lunch ...

Warm Potato Salad for Two

Ingredients:

12 small red-skinned potatoes, washed

1 medium-sized shallot, small dice, divided in half

1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, small chop

2 eggs, hard-boiled

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1/4 c. good quality mayo

1/8 to 1/4 c. olive oil

1 tsp. Dijon hot mustard

a sprinkling red pepper flakes

Making the Salad:

1. Place the eggs and washed potatoes in a deep sauceoan with cold water. Bring the pan to a bubbling simmer and cook the eggs for ten minutes and the potatoes until they are just tender (run a sharp knife into a potato to test).

2. Place the eggs in a bowl of cold water and crunch the shells ... let them cool and shrink away from the shells abit.

3. Drain the cooked potatoes and cut them into bitesized chunks, trying to keep the red skins intact.

4. Toss on half the shallots.

5. Peel the cooled eggs and cut them into hearty chunks. Toss them atop the potatoes and shallots.

6. In a blender bowl place red wine vinegar, mayonaisse, black pepper, kosher salt, red pepper flakes, and the other half of the shallots. Whiz this mixture until the shallots are pureed, drizzling the olive oil slowly from above.

7. Toss the chopped parsley atop the potatoes and pour some of the dressing over . Gently toss to mix the salad ingredients. Taste and correct the salt and black pepper. Add more of the dressing to make a nice moist salad.

8. Turn into a pretty serving bowl . Now, set it aside for a short time to allow the dressing to soak into the potatoes and eggs.

9. Just before serving, zap the salad for about 20 seconds in the microwave ... just to bring the temp back up a bit.

10. Enjoy!