Pink Potato Salad Recipe

Before our food system supplied us with anything we want anytime we want, what would have been a common food to celebrate Spring? I decided the answer is Pink Potato Salad, with root vegetables potatoes and beets along with hard-boiled eggs.

I find that my children are more likely to eat nutritious foods if I make them interesting. Adding beets to our usual potato salad got their attention. This makes a slightly wet, very sour salad. If you like potato salad more solid, cook the potatoes for a shorter time and use less vinegar.

2 large potatoes, rough cut
5 hard-boiled eggs, diced
1/2 pickled beet, diced
1/4 red onion, diced
1/4 – 1/2 cup cider vinegar
2-3 Tablespoons mustard
1/4 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste

Potatoes. I prefer rough-cut, well-done baking potatoes. They are flaky, and they tend to fall apart, but I just don’t like waxy potatoes at all.

Eggs. If you colored eggs, here is one of the (many) ways you can put them to good use.

Beets. We keep pickled beets in the refrigerator to be used as a garnish or snack. We cook 2-3 beets at a time, then cover with about 1 cup cider vinegar and enough water to cover.

Red Onion. The color this gives is more important in yellow potato salad, but I included because I like the flavor and it still adds a dash more pink.

Vinegar. You can add any kind of vinegar. This is a lot, I admit, but I love vinegar.

Mustard. I used local mustard that is a little sweet. My favorite would be rough, French mustard in a stoneware jar.

Mayonnaise. It’s great fun to make mayonnaise with children, helping them understand what an emulsion is. There is an issue with raw eggs to consider. I didn’t do anything that fancy today. I just took it from a jar.

Salt. Local salt.

Pepper. Faraway pepper. An alternative is to grind up red pepper seeds.

1. 1. Hard boil the eggs, 15-20 minutes.
2. 2. Boil the potatoes, 20-25 minutes or until desired softness.
3. 3. Drain potatoes. Cut while hot, and pour vinegar over hot potatoes. The allows the potatoes to absorb the vinegar taste.
4. 4. Add the rest of the ingredients and adjust taste.

Yum.