Rather than spend all of Memorial Day in the kitchen (unless you want to), why not make some of the dishes for your celebration ahead of time? This is an easy one and one that's a little out of the norm: Blue Cheese Potato Salad. Nonetheless, the dish isn't too weird--no infused kumquats or stinky tofu included--and it goes over well at pot-luck dinners. Sour cream and commercial blue cheese dressing (it's a holiday, go for easy!) add tang and creaminess to the potatoes, and green onions and celery contribute crunch and fresh, mild flavor. You can add salty/smoky bacon crumbles and chives for a little extra zest, if you like, but they aren't essential. My husband likes the potato salad warm, but it's also good refrigerated. The dish is simple, keeps well, and is great with many main dishes--barbecued pork, chicken, or burgers on the grill.
Blue Cheese Potato Salad -- Serves 4+
6-8 medium red skin potatoes, scrubbed well and cut into quarters or pieces about 1/2-inch thick
2 stalks of celery, washed well and chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup chopped green onions (white and green parts)
1/2 cup of light blue cheese salad dressing (use the kind that comes in a jar like Marie's or
Marzettis')
1/2 - 3/4 cup of light sour cream
1/4 cup of blue cheese crumbles
1/2 teaspoon of lemon pepper
2-3 tablespoons of low-fat milk (optional)
2-3 tablespoons of bacon crumbles (optional)
1 tablespoon of dried minced chives (optional)
Put the potatoes into a medium saucepan and add water to cover them. Bring the potatoes and water to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the potatoes until they are just tender--about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and drain the water from the potatoes. Stir in the celery and green onions, then add in the blue cheese salad dressing, sour cream, blue cheese, and lemon pepper until well combined. The potatoes will break up some, and that's fine. It adds to the creaminess of the potato salad. If the mixture seems too thick, stir in the milk, a tablespoon at a time, until the potato salad is the consistency you like. Stir in the bacon crumbles and chives if you like. Serve the potato salad warm (it reheats well) or refrigerate it and serve it cold or at room temperature. The potato salad keeps for several days (at least) in a cold refrigerator.
