Nothing better than a boiled tiny potato, hollowed out with a melon baller and filled with a equally tiny dollop of creme fraiche and caviar on top.

Alexa

The best cold potato recipe of all...
Julia's and Jacque Pepins
Julia's
2 Tablespoons butter
3 cups sliced leeks, white and palest green, trimmed and rinsed.
1 1/2 cups sliced onions about 6 ounces or 2 medium.
2 tablespoons flour
6 cups water
4 cups peeled diced potatoes, preferrably russets, cut into 2 inch chunks about 1 1 /2 pounds
1 1/2 teaspoon of salt or to taste
1/2 tsp fresh ground white pepper or to taste
Melt butter in the saucepan over moderate heat. Stir in the leek and oinon pieces to coat with butter, cover the pan and reduct the heat. Cook slowly , stiring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the vegetables are very soft but not coloured. Uncover, sprinkle on the flour, stir to distribure it well and cook for 2 minutes over moderate heat. Remove from heat and let cool for a moment.
Then, stirring continually, gradually pour in 1 1/2 cups of the water and bring to a simmer. When the liquid is smooth and starts to thicken, stir in the rest of the water, then add the potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Quickly heat the soup to a gentle boil, cover the pan, and lower the heat . Simmer for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Correct seasonings.
To serve, mash, blend or purre the soup to he desired consistency and adjust the seasonings. Garnish or vary the soup with additional ingredients. To made Vichyssoise:
Finely purree the soup base through a food mill or other appliance, then chill thoroughly. Before serving, stir in 1/2 to 1 cup heavy cream or a mixture of cream and milk, and a tablespoon or two of chopped fresh chives and adjust the seasonings. Sprinkle More chives over each serving.
Jacques Version:
2 tablespoons canola or corn oil
4 cups sliced leeks, trimmed and rinsed
1 1/2 cups sliced onion, 1 inch pieces
6 cups hot chicken broth, homemade or low sodium canned broth
4 cups peeled, diced potatoes, 2 inch chunks
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in the saucepan, stir in the leek and onion pieces and saute for 5 minuts, over moderate heat to soften.
Add the chicken stock and potato chunks, and season with salt to taste and the pepper. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, cover the pan, and adjust the heat to maintain a gentle boil. Cook for about 20 mintues, until the potatoes are tender.
Mash, blend or puree to the desired consistency and adjust the seasonings. Serve the soup right away or set aside until serving time. To make Vichyssoise: Puree the soup base through a food mill or other applliance then chill thoroughly. Before serving stir in 1/2 cup to 1 cup heavy cream or a mixture of cream and milk, and a tablespoon or two of chives. and adjust the seasoning. Sprinkle more chopped chives over each serving.

I always buy Vlasic dill relish in a jar so I have it ready for potato salad. It is chopped very fine and saves a lot of time.

Here is a link that might be useful: Vlasic Dill Relish

One of my potato favorites is boiled new potatoes and I add fresh thyme leaves, snipped chives and parsley along with a good size pat of butter after they are drained - not during cooking. I try to make enough so I can cube and fry them for another meal. I've also used these same herbed potatoes as a base for potato salad and a "short-cut" vichyssoise.

MARINATED CAESAR-STYLE POTATO SALAD
(source: Pillsbury - Super Salads & Vegetables)

Dressing:
1/4 c. oil
2 T. grated Parmesan cheese
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/8 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper

Salad:
4 c. cubed, cooked potatoes
6 slices bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley or 1-1/2 t. dried parsley flakes
2 T. chopped green onions, including tops
2 eggs, hard-cooked, cut into wedges

In small jar with tight-fitting lid, combine all dressing ingredients; shake well. In large bowl, combine all salad ingredients except eggs. Pour dressing over potato mixture; toss lightly. Refrigerate to blend flavors. Garnish with egg wedges. Yield: 8 (1/2-cup) servings.

-Grainlady

First of all thanks for this thread. I love potatoes so this is great! Last week my husband did several bakers in the oven for me that I thought I would turn into dinners for us by maybe chopping and frying or adding into soup. Our schedules didn't match up though so I just cut the potatoes into slices and added them to my green salad for lunch several days in a row. They needed no more dressing up than that in my opinion. I mean its a potato after all so by its very nature it is tasty:)

Kate

Kate's idea of adding cold, cooked potato to a green salad makes me think of salad nicoise, a favorite of mine which starts with those ingredients and goes from there, adding fish, olives, etc. Very good and not difficult to make.

Jim

Kate's idea of adding cold, cooked potato to a green salad makes me think of salad nicoise, a favorite of mine which starts with those ingredients and goes from there, adding fish, olives, etc. Very good and not difficult to make.

Jim

One of my favorite local farms just posted this:

Platter of cold cooked potatoes, asparagus, carrots, broccoli, string beans with aioli (garlic mayonnaise)

Sounds like a great salad to me!

Somehow my in-laws from Hong Kong learned how to make a Russian potato salad, probably from a long-time friend whose family had fled Russia and ended up in Shanghai, where they met up with the distaff side of DH's family.

It's a standard hard-boiled egg/potato/mayo salad (no mustard, please), with a little chopped celery in it. Then you add chopped pickled beets and peeled, chopped fresh apple. I usually mix in a little of the pickled beet juice, about 1/4 cup to every 3 cups of potato salad.

Let it sit overnight. Absolutely wonderful over shredded fresh baby spinach, served as a side with anything grilled. The apple really lightens the consistency up and makes it very refreshing.

Bizzo, those veggeies and aioli are lovely served with steamed fish. Yum!

No Annie on a potato thread? Hm. What is this world coming to?!

:)

Enjoy your "thyme potatoes" Lars! Sounds good. I'm not sure I'd mess with perfection, but a vinaigrette poured over them after warming a bit, sounds good on it in my mind.

Grainlady, Grandma always cooked extra potatoes for homefries the next morning for breakfast, and I still bake a couple of extra potatoes when baking them, so I can ry them.

Kate, I'm with you. It must be my Irish roots, because I love potatoes. Good thing, potatoes are very high in potassium, higher than the banans which I detest so much.

When I was a kid Grandma always had cold boiled ptoatoes in the fridge to use to thicken soup, mash and add to bread or fry as a side dish. I ate them cold with way too much salt and some pepper. I still do, sometimes.

Anyway, cold potatoes. Elery's stepmother serves this cold potato salad at her restaurant on the salad bar and people go nuts for it. It gets made daily and she increases the recipe, of course. The top is sprinkled with shredded cheese and crumbled bacon as a garnish. It's OK, the popularity of it surprises me a little, but you could easily mash up cold potatoes and start from there.

MASHED POTATO SALAD

6 lg. potatoes
2 tbsp. pickle relish
1/2 c. celery
1/4 c. olives
4 hard boiled eggs
Onions and radishes, as desired
1 1/2 to 2 c. mayonnaise
Shredded cheddar cheese
6 slices of bacon, fried crisp and crumbled.

Boil potatoes and mash them, add remaining ingredients except cheese and bacon. Store incovered container and refrigerate overnight, to serve the second day. Garnish the top of the bowl with shredded cheese and crumbled bacon.

makes 6 cups

Annie

We were typing and posting at the same time, I just typed less so I finished first. Good to know all is right in the world now that Annie's posted here. Whew.

:)

Here's another simple potato salad recipe:

Russian Banana Fingerling Potato Salad

To Cook the Potatoes and prepare the Salad:
1 lb. Russian Banana Fingerling Potatoes (Yukon Gold Potatoes may be substituted)
Water to cover
Salt

Scrub potatoes and place in a medium pot. Cover with cold water and add salt. Over medium heat, bring to a simmer and cook until you can just pass a knife comfortably through a potato. Remove from heat and strain.

1/4 cup Chicken Broth
2 tsp. Champagne Vinegar
1/2 tsp. Granulated Sugar
1/2 bunch Chopped Chives
Salt and freshly ground White Pepper

Combine broth, vinegar, sugar, chives and seasoning to taste. While still warm, rub (peel) skins from potatoes with the back of a pairing knife. (Not only is it easier to rub the skins while the potatoes are still warm, it is also important to combine the marinade or "dressing" with the potatoes while the potatoes are warm as they will better absorb the flavors). Pare and slice potatoes into 1/4 inch thick pieces. Place potatoes in a bowl and pour dressing over, stirring gently. Allow flavors and liquid to "draw" for at least 1/2 hour.

Note: This salad is best served at room temperature.

I don't remember where I got this recipe, but I've made a quite a few times. I'm definitely going to try the other recipes posted here. I've made Salad Nicoise before, but I tend to make my own version of it and leave out some of the ingredients that I don't like, but I do keep the potatoes! Thanks for the recipes!!

Lars

Salad Nicoise is the first thing that pops into my mind when I think of cold potatoes. We have it alot in the summer months. Or potato salad.

I had a wonderful salad when I was in Costa Rica several years ago that was potatoes, hard boiled eggs and cooked, cubed beets. Have never been able to find a recipe for it, tho.

Here is another that we liked:

French potato salad
4 to 6 servings

2 lbs (1 kg) red potatoes, well scrubbed
6 tbsp (90 mL) olive oil
1 tbsp (15 mL) white vinegar
1/2 cup (125 mL) peeled and chopped red onion
finely chopped parsley
1 minced garlic clove
pinch of salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup (50 mL) dry white wine, at room temperature

1.In a medium saucepan, cover potatoes with lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Boil for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, but not until they fall apart. Drain and let stand until cool enough to handle. (You should make salad while potatoes are still hot or warm.)

2.As potatoes cook, make dressing. Mix oil, vinegar, red onion, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl.

3.Peel cooked potatoes and cut into 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) slices. (Or leave skins on for more color.) You should have about 5 cups (1.25 L). Place potatoes in a shallow serving bowl, sprinkling wine between layers. Pour dressing over potatoes, toss and serve.

Linda

That was what I was picturing in my mind Linda. That's it exactly. I'll have to try that! Thanks for posting the recipe.

This is similar to the French potato salad Linda posted. It's my family's favorite. It has a very fresh and tangy flavor, a great alternative to the mayonnaise versions.

Greek Potato Salad

2-2 1/2 lbs. wax potatoes (white, Yukon Gold, or red)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1- 2 large lemons
1 red onion, finely diced
1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried Greek oregano (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste
*Finely chop onion and parsley.
*In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, oregano (if used), parsley, 1 teaspoon salt and onion. Mix well and set aside.
*Wash potatoes well.
*Add potatoes to a large pot of boiling, lightly salted water. Cook potatoes at low boil for about 15 - 20 minutes, or until potatoes are just tender. Do not overcook.
*Drain water and let potatoes cool slightly to touch.
*When slightly cooled, peel and cut potatoes into slices or large dice (If desired, leave skin on red potatoes).
*Place potatoes in a large bowl; add dressing and season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat.
*Cover bowl and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Stir every once in a while to redistribute dressing.

About 5 years ago, I asked the very wise cooks on this board for recipes to serve with pork tenderloin because the boss was coming for dinner. I cannot remember who gave me this recipe, but I have not forgotten it and have made it many, many successful times. The flavors are incredible!
Potato Salad with Fresh Herbs and Lemon
Bon Appetit : February 2000

3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint

2 1/4 pounds small red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled

Whisk oil, lemon juice and lemon peel in small bowl to blend. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Place 1/2 cup dressing in large bowl. Mix in green pepper, onion, cilantro, basil and mint.
Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain; cool 15 minutes. Cut potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes. Add potatoes to bowl with dressing and toss to blend. Let stand 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, adding more dressing, if desired. Serve at room temperature.

ooops. I guess it says room temp, but that's close enough, maybe??

I have a friend who used to bring me cold potato sandwiches....first time I hated them but after a while they grew on me.
It was just mashed potatoes with a little chopped raw onion in them on white bread and mayo.
But now that I am retired I don't eat them anymore......maybe retirement is a good thing.