It feels like only yesterday that we were cranky about the challenge being turned into a popularity contest and here we are again, and this time with sponsors...
It feels like a challenge designed to be a competition has to be easier. How much variation and competition winningness can be found in the great challenging and daring challenges like Gumbo and Cassoulet? Oh well...
On the plus side, this was an easy challenge and we didn't have to set aside a day (or weeks) and in fact went to the stores after work to round everything up (as well as the groceries for the rest of the week), whip it up, and eat dinner at the same time we eat just about every other night after work.
It's not like we've not made a Potato Salad of some sort before, so it was the German one that caught our eye because the dressing was more sauce like than dressing like and it sounded like we could serve it hot as a main rather than as a side - we didn't feel we had any potato salad side worthy events coming up.
German Potato Salad
We've had challenges before rounding up ingredients, but not this one. We could have found everything easily in our normal everyday store, but actually went to two because we think we've found a new little market that does great fruit & veg at really quite good prices.
A little bit of guessing. Recipe just says potatoes (we went with red skinned, medium sized) and vinegar (we've never had plain ol' vinegar in the pantry so went with half apple cider and half white vinegar because we didn't have enough of either and together we ended up with just a smidge under the required amount). No guessing on the bacon because we were given the choice of bacon bacon or turkey bacon. We don't mind bacon bacon, but don't need it in / on / around everything as just about every tv chef / judge / face is sprouting these days. Therefore, turkey bacon was the winner.
We also changed the recipe and left the skins on. Partly (ok, mostly) because we didn't feel like peeling potatoes that really don't need to be peeled, but also because the red skin just makes everything look a bit more interesting.
The sauce comes together sort of in an ugly way, but when it's ready for the Potatoes all is well, and once they and the Bacon join in, all is very well. The kitchen certainly changes complexion when the first wafts of boiling sauce sends the vinegar aroma(s) your way.
Result
Tasty! Served well as dinner on it's own, and as a bonus also served equally as well as lunch the next day.
The 'sauce' was consistent with the ingredients in it. It was tangy, yet sweet, a little bit of crunch and coated everything nicely.
Tradition now sort of dictates we grab something out of our Wine Club 'Cellar' but alas, none of our Tasting Notes suggested a pairing with Potato Salad. We took a chance on a 2008 Capestrano Passerina Marche and we think we lucked out. The acidity of the wine played nicely with the tangyness of the sauce. And, even if it wasn't a great match (it was!) hey, we still got to have a glass or 3 on a school night...
Recipes & Destructions Instructions
Conclusion
A tasty result and a pretty good option next time we have to show up at a BBQ with a side, or have a hankering for a home cooked meal based on potatoes.
Nothing complicated. Thanks for the easy challenge, especially after the huffing and puffing of the Gumbo. That being said, we really get much more excited by the challenges that really force us to be Daring, even if it takes hours / days of shopping / preping / stirring and sitting around enjoying the smells from the kitchen.
Stay JOLLY!
D&S
Jami Sorrento was our June Daring Cooks hostess and she chose to challenge us to celebrate the humble spud by making a delicious and healthy potato salad. The Daring Cooks Potato Salad Challenge was sponsored by the nice people at the United States Potato Board, who awarded prizes to the top 3 most creative and healthy potato salads. A medium-size (5.3 ounce) potato has 110 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, no sodium and includes nearly half your daily value of vitamin C and has more potassium than a banana!
