Recipes from the Collection of Mark and Danielle Hughes
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Gordon's red potato salad with whole-grain mustard dressingAdapted from "Williams-Sonoma San Francisco" by Janet Fletcher
(Oxmoor House, 191 pp., $24.95) Serves 6 2 pounds small, round red-skinned potatoes, quartered Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper 1/2 cup homemade or store-bought mayonnaise 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon 2 tablespoons chopped capers 1/4 large red onion, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard 2 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard In a large pot, combine potatoes with water to cover by 1 inch. Salt the water, place over high heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer gently, uncovered, until potatoes are just tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 10 minutes. Test the potatoes often and be careful not to overcook them. While potatoes are cooking, in a large bowl combine mayonnaise, parsley, tarragon, capers, onion, whole-grain and Dijon mustards, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons water. Whisk to blend, then season to taste with pepper. Drain potatoes and immediately add to dressing. Toss well to coat evenly, then let cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Thin the dressing at serving time with a little more water if needed. Adapted from "Williams-Sonoma San Francisco" by Janet Fletcher (Oxmoor House, 191 pp., $24.95 One Great Dish: Red potato salad is a hit in Napa and at home
Sometimes you feel like olive oil. Sometimes you don't. Sometimes you feel like mayo. Other times, you don't. That's exactly why you can never have too many potato salad recipes. Even if you have one you absolutely, positively adore, there's always room for one more scrumptious version when your palate is primed for something new. "Gordon's red potato salad with whole-grain mustard dressing" is the answer when you're in the mood for something cold, creamy, herby and trés country-French. The recipe is from "Williams-Sonoma San Francisco" by Janet Fletcher (Oxmoor House, 191 pp., $24.95), which incidentally also makes a great gift for any homesick friends now living outside the Bay Area. This irresistible version of potato salad comes from Gordon's Café and Wine Bar, 6770 Washington St. in Yountville, where locals crowd in at lunchtime to savor a scoop alongside hefty sandwiches. The cafe is closed for remodeling but is expected to reopen Oct. 1. Meantime, you can still enjoy its famous potato salad with its harmonic marriage of mayo, capers, red onion slivers, fresh parsley, fresh tarragon and not just Dijon mustard, but whole-grain mustard as well. The only change I made was to up the mustard a tad: 2 tablespoons of the whole-grain instead of just 1; and 2 1/2 teaspoons of the dijon rather than 1 1/2. What can I say - I like my condiments. You'll like this potato salad, too. After all, there's always room for just one more. Here's how to make better potato salad Potato salad is a warm-weather favorite. Or a favorite, period. We think of it as an American original, so closely tied as it is to our red, white and blue celebrations. But the Germans have been eating warm kartoffelsalat and the French their room-temperature salade de pommes de terre for longer. In true American style, though, the variations are endless, and the only requirement is cooked potatoes. Mayonnaise or oil? Sweet pickle relish or dill? Yellow mustard or Dijon? Celery or chopped black olives? Hard-boiled eggs? How about blue cheese and bacon? For the best potato salad, follow these tips, from "Potato Salad: Fifty Nifty Recipes" by Barbara Lauterbach (Chronicle Books).
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