Hot Potato Salad

Hot Potato Salad
Dorcas Annette Walker

Here is a brand new recipe that I tried out for the first time and had to share. All the Hot Potato Salads that I had previously tasted throughout the years were okay, but were nothing real special that stood out to me. Now I’d be the first one to admit that everyone’s taste buds and what they like are often different so don’t take my opinion personally if you have a favorite Hot Potato Salad recipe that you love. While browsing through cookbooks I came across a Hot Potato Salad recipe that intrigued me and I thought, why not try it? After all I encourage you all to try new stuff and the worst thing that could happen would be that I and my fellows wouldn’t like it. So one cold snowy day while I was in my kitchen baking, I made up a batch of the Hot Potato Salad giving the recipe only a few tweaks. The next meal my guys immediately recognized a new dish. Dana lifted an eyebrow in my direction and asked, “Is this another one of your experiments?” I just grinned and said, “Try it”. True to his nature (hopefully with faith in my ability as a cook and the fact that I have yet to poison him), Dana dug out a good portion of my Hot Potato Salad onto his plate. Now my son, Dwight, is pickier eater. He tentatively put a small spoonful on his plate with a doubtful expression on his face. After a small bite though, Dwight looked up in surprise and said, “Hey this is good!” He finished up his small portion and got another big helping with my husband following close behind him. In one meal we nearly ate up the entire Hot Potato Salad. Now don’t take my word for it. Try it for yourself.

The potato has fed civilizations, yet it is often has the reputation as junk food. The potato itself is a healthy food. It is the way it is prepared. We can blame Thomas Jefferson, who first introduced French fries to America. Potato chips soon followed and thus came the downfall of a main staple. One serving of a medium-sized potato though with the peel left on is a good source of fiber, protein, potassium, vitamin C, contains no fat, and is low in calories.

My Hot Potato Salad is a mild potato salad-style casserole wrapped in a cheesy sauce that makes an awesome combination giving a warm summer taste on a cold winter day. Preparation time for the Hot Potato Salad is twenty-five minutes (not counting baking time) and this recipe serves eight.

Hot Potato Salad

8 medium-sized potatoes
1 c mayonnaise
1 c milk
½ stick of margarine
½ lb block cheese spread cubed
1 tb dried chopped onion
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp dried crushed celery leaves
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste

Cook, cool in water, and cube potatoes. In a microwave bowl combine the rest of the ingredients and microwave until the cheese is melted stirring frequently. Butter a 2 qt baking dish, place the potatoes in it, and pour over the dressing. Sprinkle with paprika and bake at 350º for 1 hr until browned, and bubbly. Serve hot!

Weekly tip: Red potatoes are especially good for salads because they don’t absorb the dressing or break apart easily, and due to their thin skin they don’t need to be peeled thus adding color!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com