Cold Potato Salad

Earlier this week, our heat was shut off because our landlord did not pay the bill.  At 47 degrees inside the house, we don’t even bother taking off our coats or shoes.   Yesterday we opened the doors to heat the house – in January.  On this grey morning, I peddled through low-hanging clouds and a bitterly cold rain even my vintage rubber rain jacket could not shield me from entirely.   Still sopping wet, I made not hot chocolate or steamy soup, but a cold dill potato salad for lunch.  Potato salad seems an odd choice without any picnics, pitch-ins, or warm weather in the foreseeable future.  I blame my subconscious for trying to keep with this week’s theme of “cold”.  The irony made it taste more satisfying.

Some people have this general aversion to mayonnaise.  Reasons vary from health concerns to taste, but some will pass up any dish that has even a remote trace of mayonnaise.   But making a potato salad without any mayo seems blasphemous.  Limiting myself to only a tablespoon, I had to turn to milk and parmesan cheese to help me stretch the sauce.  Flavoring it with lemon, dill, oregano, and garlic gave it a fresher, light taste.  The recipe made just enough for a personal potato salad that lasted me two lunches.  It is well matched with sandwiches, burgers, or even just by itself.  Not a standard stick-to-your-sides winter meal, but it keeps you wishing for sunny days!

Potato Salad                                              

Ingredients:

1 large potato, diced

¼ red pepper, diced

2 medium stalks celery, sliced

2 hard boiled egg whites, chopped

1 T mayonnaise

2 T milk

¼ cup parmesan cheese, finely shredded

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp dried dill weed

¼ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1.       In a saucepan, boil potatoes for about 10 minutes or until just fork tender.

2.       In another small saucepan, boil eggs for 8-10 minutes.

3.       In a small bowl, combine mayo, milk, cheese, lemon juice, dill weed, oregano, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to make sauce.

4.       Combine sauce with the rest of the ingredients.

5.       Chill for at least 2 hours.