You Say Potato, I Say "Patata"

I recently went shopping at one of those big membership "required" warehouses. They usually give out food samples. On this particular day, the sample was a mayonnaise potato macaroni salad. The tasting counter was mobbed and I was intrigued. I picked up a container to read the ingredients and I let out a loud shriek and dropped it to the floor. I shrieked because of the sodium content, something like 680 mg per serving. And, I thought OMG, this will kill you. Growing up with an Italian born mother, we had potato salad a lot but it never looked like the "American" version of mayonnaise with potatoes added. Mom had made it with olive oil. Yes, only olive oil.

So, as I walked down the aisle at our local farmers market I saw lovely Yukon gold potatoes. You need to try a blind test between a locally grown fresh potato and a supermarket potato. The difference in taste is huge.  And, you need to only try it to believe me. I bought the potatoes, spring onions and I picked the basil from my garden-I was all set.

Italian Potato Salad, the way it should be

• 6 Yukon gold potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds) or other potatoes that are good for boiling, peel and cut into 2 inch cubes
  
•  1/2 cup of spring onion or scallions or white onions or shallots, chopped fine
  
•  2 tablespoons fresh basil, rough chop 
  
• 1/2-3/4 extra virgin olive oil, the better quality olive oil the better the salad will taste
  
•  salt and pepper to taste
  
•  2-4 strips of bacon, crumbled (optional)
  

Now, you can stop right here but because I have kids and kids love bacon, I like to add bacon. (Okay, I confess, it is not just the kids, its me...just an excuse because I LOVE bacon, too...still 3 strips of bacon for 4 servings is nowhere near the sodium content of the warehouse plastic potato salad--did I say plastic? Oops.)

1. Boil potatoes in 2 ½ quarts of water. 

2. Cook until fork tender. About 35-40 minutes. Drain. Add onion. Add ½ cup of the olive oil and taste, if okay, stop here. Depending on how much water the potatoes absorb is how much olive oil you need, you may need to add a little bit more, but taste it--you don't want the potatoes to puddle or drown in olive oil. Add bacon and basil.  Mix with a wooden spoon, potatoes will crumble; that is okay, it is a rustic dish.

3. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm or room temperature.

Yields 4 servings.