Mary Jane's Famous Potato Salad

The secret weapon of family gatherings - homemade creamy dressing transforms red potatoes into summer's most requested side dish

The Dinner Bell was created to inspire you to follow the footprints of your family history, bringing both stories and recipes to the table when the dinner bell rings, of course. Researching your family tree and engaging in family gatherings and Sunday Suppers help you understand your heritage, where you come from, and where you’re going.

Summer is not my favorite time of year. Or it wasn’t. Now that I live in the desert, I pine for the cool coastal Summers I grew up enjoying in Huntington Beach, California. The desert heat - 100+ for a good 4 months - restricts my time to the indoors, where I hide from the heat and humidity. My favorite times of year were always Spring and Fall. Yes, in Southern California, the change of seasons is minimal. But I’ve always been able to track those changes by following the weather and the surf. May gray and June gloom are strong indicators of the seasonal rotation and are often perceived as deterrents to enjoying Spring and Summer. But if you wait it out, by 11 am, the sun is shining, and the beach is calling. Spring brings fresh air, cleansing rains, and rows of blooming flowers. In the fall, the weather cools, the sunsets are stunning, and the surf picks up. But today, trapped in the desert heat, I long for ocean breezes and outdoor grilling. The season of Summer is tugging at my heart.

Summer serves up memories of trips to the beach, swimming in the ocean, building sand castles, and devouring shaved ice. When my sisters and I were in our teens, we’d bike from our home in Huntington Beach to Newport Beach and back, talking to boys along the way and stopping for a corn dog at Hot Dog on a Stick or for cheese strips at Dwight’s Beach Concession. Sustenance is necessary when you’re having fun!

We had quite a bit of freedom when we were younger. The only rule we had was to be home by 6 (for dinner). My parents and their parents, aunts, and uncles grew up the same way, free to roam their neighborhood or hop on a transit bus (at age 8) to visit grandma 30 minutes away. The world was different then, fewer people on the planet, I guess. Car and airplane manufacturing were the ‘tech’ of the day. We, they, had no cell phones. Social media did not exist. Computers were used to play Pac-Man! We carried quarters in our pockets if we needed to call home. Life seemed simpler, and from my adult perspective, safer, for parents and kids.

For those of you who grew up as I did, take a seat and relax, for it’s time to reminisce about the good old days. For those of you quietly saying to yourself, here we go, this next bit is about ‘the good old days’, here is your chance to put down the phone, or your favorite tech toy, and give the simpler life a try.

Our great-grandparents and their parents lived on farms or had large lots with open spaces to run amok, help in the garden, or explore. At family gatherings, play was encouraged while the adults cooked and baked copious amounts of food.

And at those gatherings, my grandma, Mary Jane, brought her secret weapon, her Potato Salad. Served at every special event and gathering, it is still the heart and soul of every family meal and Sunday supper. My family’s recipes are fairly easy if you can interpret them! This Potato Salad recipe is no different. Easy to make, but it takes time to iron out the steps.

Before we get to the recipe for this delectable Potato Salad, I give you Summer fun play, the no-tech type. And all it requires is energy, ingenuity, and bravery:

• Run around an open field chasing your cousins until you’ve tagged one of them, then fall into the grass giggling

• Cleverly sneak away to explore in an off-limit smokehouse or a creepy, dilapidated house rumored to have ghosts

• Explore the local duck pond and capture living creatures for research (put them back alive and intact once you’ve completed your investigation as to why they’re so interesting)

• Fly a kite with your dad, your uncle, your sister, your grandma, a friend, or your dog

• Grab the squirt guns, especially on humid Midwest days, and get wet!

• Playing a round of Jacks is good for your mental health.

• Hop to the end of a series of squares, chalked into a sidewalk, without touching the ground

• Push a series of hoops into the grass, then hit balls using a mallet through the hoops until the team that completes the course first wins

Mary Jane’s Famous Potato Salad

Serves: 8

Cooking Time: 1 hour

Kitchen Tools

• Stockpot

• Saucepan

• Cutting Board

• Chef’s Knife

• Measuring Cups

• Measuring Spoon

• Whisk

Ingredients

• 5 lbs. red potatoes

• 3 eggs

• 3 green onions

• 2 celery stalks

• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp. avocado oil

• 2 tbsp. flour

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1 egg yolk

• 1/2 tsp. dry mustard

• 1/4 tsp. paprika

• 2 tbsp. lemon juice

• 1 scant cup mayonnaise

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1/2 tsp. pepper

Instructions

1. Fill a stockpot with cold water, then add clean potatoes. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it boils, reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are soft when pierced with a fork. Remove from the heat. Let them cool, then cut into bite-sized pieces.

2. While the potatoes are boiling, bring a saucepan of water to a boil, then gently lower your eggs into the water. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 10-12 minutes, then remove from your pan and place into an ice bath for 15 minutes. When you’re ready to peel, tap the egg on your countertop, then carefully peel the shell. Cut into wedges.

3. Slice green onions and celery stalks into bite-sized pieces.

4. Using a whisk, blend 1 tbsp. of avocado oil with flour and water. Bring to a boil. Stir constantly. Once it’s boiling, continue stirring constantly for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add salt, egg yolk, dry mustard, paprika, and lemon juice. Beat with a whisk or a fork until smooth. Fold in mayonnaise, salt, and pepper. Let cool.

5. Combine the potatoes, green onions, celery, and eggs in a large bowl, then pour the dressing and mix. Refrigerate until 15 minutes before serving.

Pairings

• Serve with… Grilled Steak and a Green Salad with an oil & vinegar vinaigrette

• If you’re dining at home, pair with a Syrah or Shiraz, Pinot Noir or Merlot, or Red Rhone varietal.

• If you’re grilling brats, burgers, or hot dogs, hanging outside, at a park or field, drink whatever keeps you cool and refreshed, lemonade or Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Mary Jane's Famous Potato Salad

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What’s your secret family recipe, and what’s the story behind it?