I'm leaving, on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again, ohhhh babe, I hate to go...not really, I'm so excited about my trip I can hardly stand myself! I'm headed to Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine!!! Can you say lobstah?! I plan to eat my weight in lobstah and then I'm going to waddle over to King Arthur Flour in Vermont where I will be taking a week long pastry making class!! Lobstah and pastry. Amen.
It should go without saying that when I return from Vermont I shall share my newly acquired pastry knowledge with you...but in the meantime, I have a few fun posts coming your way, starting with this amazing salad recipe to tide you over...this is one you need to make ASAP, because this salad has it goin' on! Fresh roasted corn, bacon, dill, Parmesan cheese and, of course, potatoes...all smothered in a rich sour cream and mayo dressing that is high-jacked with pickle juice and horseradish. In a word? Scrumpdiddlyumptious.
This is a riff on Earl's Warm Potato Salad, which you just can't beat. If you have an Earl's Restaurant near you, go there and order this salad - you won't be sorry. If you don't, then this version comes close...and you won't have to leave a tip.
Earl's Warm Potato Salad - Pots and Pins version based on multiple taste tests
3 ears fresh corn (you can use 2 cups frozen corn instead)
4 lbs. small red potatoes, skins left on
1 lb. bacon
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
3 green onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped
1tablespoon dill pickle juice (open a jar of dill pickles and use the juice, if you don't have pickle juice you can use apple cider vinegar)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and slightly smashed
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish (optional but it gives a nice kick)
olive oil for roasting
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment or foil and set aside. Cut potatoes into quarters, or into 1-inch chunks and put into a large bowl. Remove corn from cob with a knife and add to bowl with potatoes. (I put the end of the cob into the center hole in a Bundt pan and then slice downwards - the corn goes into the pan instead of all over the kitchen.) Add garlic to bowl. Drizzle just enough olive oil over potatoes and corn mixture so everything is coated lightly when tossed. Spread potatoes, corn and garlic evenly over the baking sheets. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown and crispy.
While potatoes are roasting, cook bacon in large skillet until crisp. Remove to paper toweling. When bacon is cool enough to handle, break into 1-inch pieces. Set aside. In a medium bowl combine mayonnaise, sour cream, horseradish, pickle juice, dill and green onions. Mix well.
Put roasted potato and corn mixture into a large bowl. Add bacon and pour dressing over the top. Mix well. Serves 8. Serve warm, but this is equally good cold, especially for breakfast!
Not the best picture but the Parmesan Potato Salad was a hit at this year's Blue Angels picnic! While the blues were flying overhead we dined on Cuban Pork Roast Sandwiches, guacamole and chips, Deviled Eggs, Tomato Salad with Buttermilk Basil Dressing, Refrigerator Pickles and...and...and...for dessert we had homemade blueberry Pocket Pies with vanilla ice cream!!! I don't know how we managed to keep the ice cream frozen but we did! It was great to sit along the shores of Lake Washington and watch the Blues, who were back after a two year absence!
Mt. Ranier was out, too! It was a perfect day - and we had front-row seats...while I didn't capture any pictures of the Blues in action, they were too fast and I was too slow, I did manage 12 seconds worth sound...as has always been painfully obvious on this blog, photography is NOT my thang!
