Eggy Potato Salad with Pickles

“Will Drive For Food. ” That’s one of my mottos!  And that’s also the title of the article where I found this tasty potato salad recipe.  The May 2012 issue of Bon Appétit caught my attention because I for one, will definitely travel for food.  Anytime. In this particular article, the authors, Jenny Rosenstrach and Andy Ward, write of stopping at Sally Bell’s Kitchen in Richmond, Virginia, picking up their famous lunch boxes for their drive from New York to South Carolina.  Jenny and Andy describe the lunch boxes as consisting of a Smithfield-ham and iceberg sandwich, a deviled egg, a frosted cupcake, and best of all, eggy potato salad topped with a sweet pickle chip. Doesn’t that sound like the perfect afternoon road trip meal?

The recipe calls for using only the egg yolks however I couldn’t waste those lovely egg whites so I included half of them in the salad.  The others we ate on the spot, sprinkled with salt and pepper. Yum!

Yukon Gold or red potatoes work well in this salad. I found some nice Yukon Golds so that’s what I used.

The potatoes are coarsely smashed instead of cubed.  This makes for a very creamy sort of potato salad.

The pickle juice adds a sweet and tart flavor to the dressing.

 Eggy Potato Salad with Pickles

Adapted from Bon Appétit May 2012

Serves 6 as a side dish

Ingredients

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled

1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons sweet pickle juice plus  8 – 10 sweet-pickle chips

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

3/4 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 large hard-boiled eggs, separated, egg yolks smashed finely plus two egg whites finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped red or Maui onion

1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley

Paprika

Preparation

Place potatoes in a large pot.  Add water to cover by 2 inches, add 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes or so.  Drain.  Place potatoes in a large bowl and let cool slightly.

Whisk mayonnaise, pickle juice, Dijon, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Using a large wooden spoon, coarsely smash potatoes, leaving some larger pieces mixed with some well mashed pieces.

Add dressing, egg yolks, egg whites to potatoes and a toss to coat. Add onion and parsley, gently mix to incorporate. Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Cover and chill before serving.

Divide potato salad among small plates or bowls, dust with paprika and top with a sliced dill pickle chip or two.