A tasty local potato salad evokes memories of holidays gone by

Growing up, the 4th of July always required some sort of grilled meat, fresh, homemade ice cream, and a big bowl of mom's potato salad. I still make mom's potato salad on occasion, but I saw this recipe in the Washington Local and Seasonal Cookbook and had to give it a try.

The first step in making this potato salad was making my own mayonnaise. I admit, I don't really like mayonnaise. I use it very rarely, even on sandwiches. In fact, the only use I have for it is in a potato salad.

Mayonnaise

• 5 egg yolks (from Skagit River Ranch)
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• Salt

1. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, salt, and the vinegar until the egg yolks lighten in color. The mixture might get a tiny bit frothy at this point and that's ok.
2. While whisking constantly (this is key), add the oil a drop or two at a time. The whisking will emulsify the oil, thickening the mixture.
3. When about half of the oil has been incorporated, start adding the oil in a thin stream, continuing to whisk.
4. Refrigerate for up to a week.

Patricia's Notes: My mayonnaise was a bit on the thin side. I think it would have been better if I'd used the Kitchen-Aid mixer instead of hand-whisking. You can add any sorts of spices you want to the mayonnaise, including garlic. I might splurge at some point and try making some mayonnaise with some garlic flavored olive oil. If you're worried about the cholesterol content of mayonnaise, make sure and use truly pastured eggs for the lowest cholesterol content and the highest level of Omega-3 fatty acids.

Full Circle Farms Potato Salad

Serves 6

• 2 pounds of potatoes (I used red potatoes from Full Circle Farms)
• 4 carrots (from Full Circle Farms)
• 3 stalks of celery
• 8 oz jar of artichoke hearts
• 1 Walla Walla sweet onion (from Growing Washington)
• 1 purple bell pepper (from Billy's Organic Produce)
• 3-4 dill pickles (Parker's Spicy Pickles from Woodring Northwest)
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1 Tbsp capers
• Sea salt and Pepper
• Mayonnaise

1. Boil the potatoes until they are just tender. They will continue to cook a bit as they cool, so don't overcook them.
2. Cut them into chunks and set aside.
3. Slice the carrots and cook for just a couple of minutes, draining and then plunging them immediately into cold water.
4. Slice the celery, quarter the artichoke hearts, and slice the onion, pepper, and pickles.
5. Mash the capers with the flat of a knife.
6. Mix all ingredients together, adding salt and pepper to taste and as much mayonnaise as you like.

Patricia's Notes: One of the things I love about potato salad is that it is very hard to screw it up. You can add just about any vegetables you want, or stick with only potatoes. I've always loved spicy dill pickles and sometimes I'll even add some of the pickle juice in as well. The capers were a nice touch in this dish. The original recipe suggested cooking the carrots for a full 5 minutes, but I found that left them too soft. I love my potato salad to have some crunch. Next time I might not cook the carrots at all. The original recipe also suggested peeling the potatoes, but I prefer to leave the skins on. You can add or remove just about any ingredient from the potato salad (except the potatoes and mayonnaise) and still have a tasty salad.