The June 2010 Issue of Cooking Light Features My Light Potato Salad Recipes

June 21st may be the official start of summer, but everyone knows that summer really begins on Memorial Day weekend.

This is an important time of year. Not only can you now wear white with confidence, but you can also start hosting cookouts. That means it's time for grilled hot dogs smothered with mustard and relish, buttery ears of crisp golden sweet corn, and big bowls of creamy, tangy potato salad.

I'm excited to announce that I am featured in the "Cooking Class" section entitled "Light Potato Salad" in the June 2010 issue of Cooking Light. It's on page 133 (not that I have it memorized), but if you don't have the print version, you can still get the recipes online and check out the reader reviews.

In the piece, I give you tips on how to make perfect potato salad and how to make lightened potato salads that are small on fat and calories and big on flavor. These potato salads are so flavorful, you won't even miss the mayo. Neither will your belly in your bikini.

Farmers' Market Potato Salad: This salad was selected as one of the "Greatest Hits: 2010" by Cooking Light staff. 

This warm potato salad features tender tri-color fingerling potatoes and beloved summer veggies including sweet corn, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes. It's dressed with a zesty Dijon and tarragon dressing. One reader said, "It is truly the best potato salad I've ever had, hands down."

Lemon-Arugula Potato Salad: My personal favorite, this salad features creamy Yukon Gold potatoes blanketed with peppery arugula, pungent shallots, and tart lemon.

Lemongrass and Ginger Potato Salad: This Asian inspired potato salad features bold lemongrass and fragrant fresh ginger. It's the ideal companion to grilled meats and seafood, such as chicken and shrimp.

All photos by Becky Lulgart-Stayner; food styling by Cindy Barr. 

Four Amazing Potato Salad Recipes for Your Fourth of July Cookout

Americans will be celebrating the Fourth of July this weekend, and that means loads of hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob, watermelon, and, the perennial favorite, potato salad.


Patriotic Potato Salad

Although most people will be enjoying traditional American-style potato salad with mayo, I won't, and neither will anybody in my family. Why? Because when my brothers and I were kids, my mother wouldn't dream of letting us eat mayo-based potato salad at cookouts. After all, how could she know how long it had been baking in the sun? There was no way she was going to risk her brood getting food poisoning, so we either skipped the potato salad or had our own olive oil and vinegar based potato salad instead.


String Bean and Potato Salad with Prosciutto

Although it has been shown that mayo-based potato salad may not be as dangerous as once thought, I still prefer worry-free oil and vinegar based potato salads. If you're not sure which type of potato salad to make for this Fourth of July weekend, then I have four amazing potato salad recipes for you to try:

• Lemongrass and Ginger Potato Salad
• Arugula Pesto Potato Salad
• String Bean and Potato Salad with Prosciutto
• Patriotic Potato Salad

Arugula Pesto potato salad

Tips for making great potato salad:

• Use waxy rather than floury potatoes, such as Yukon gold, red bliss and fingerlings. They have a creamy texture yet keep their shape well when cooked. Although russet potatoes are exceptionally tender, they don't hold their shape well when boiled and tend to get mushy.
  

• Cut potatoes into equal-sized pieces so they will cook evenly.

• Don't overcook potatoes. Take them off the heat while they're still slightly firm. Drain and let cool before assembling the salad.
  

• With or without skins? It's a personal preference. If you leave the skins on, be sure to scrub them well before cooking. Peeled potatoes work especially well for absorbing sauces such as pesto.
  

• Season the potatoes while still warm to absorb the flavors more fully.

• Warm potato salads taste best the day they are made; however, cold potato salads often taste better the next day. If you're making potato salad ahead of time, hold off on adding raw onions or fresh herbs until just before serving. You'll avoid unpleasant pungency and keep your herbs looking fresh.

Lemongrass and Ginger Potato Salad

So here's wishing my fellow Americans a safe and spectacular Fourth of July weekend with lots of good friends, lots of sparklers, and lots and lots of potato salad.

You might also like these recipes for the Fourth of July:

The Southwest Hamburger





Chili Lime Fruit Salad





Elote, or Mexican Grilled Corn





Grilled Watermelon Slices with a Honey-Lime Syrup