Potato Salad

This is a great salad to make if you've got lots of leftovers in the fridge and want something exciting to do with them.

It's best to do a large batch of the potato and apple and red onion and sauce (the base ingredients) and then have it repeatedly with different sources of protein and flavour added to it. Some options include cubed feta cheese (as I've done), smoked mackerel (Sainsburys does a cheap vacuum packed version that lasts longer in the fridge, 4 fillets for £2.42), or small pieces of bacon (better to buy large rashers and then cut up yourself as they are more cost effective and less fatty than lardons).

Potatoes in any form (even chips if they're oven baked) are a great source of long lasting energy, so even though this is just a salad, it'll keep you going long until your next meal.

This salad can be served hot or cold. As it's very hot at the moment I made the salad in the morning, wacked it in the fridge to cool and then ate it as a late lunch in the afternoon. Alternatively, if you eat it straight away and make sure all the cooked ingredients are kept warm, this can be just as appetising on colder days as a healthy winter warmer.

If my Mum makes this salad, she tends to plan her added ingredients by colour variation to make it more aesthetically pleasing, where as I just tend to bung in whatever ingredients I can find in the fridge. It's up to you, but obviously it would involve more planning ahead if you follow my Mum's technique.


Ingredients (makes 4 servings)

BASE 
4 medium/large potatoes
1 red onion (or a handful of spring onions)
2 apples
2-3 tbsp of greek/plain yoghurt
2-3 tbsp of mayonnaise
Seasonings

OPTIONAL EXTRAS
1/2 block of feta or 3 rashers of bacon or 1 fillet of smoked mackerel
A handful of radishes
A handful of gherkins
2-3 sticks of celery

Recipe

• Bring a saucepan of water up to boil and wash and chop up the potatoes into largeish chunks (no need to peel as makes potato shapeless and mushy when mixed).

• Steam the potato chunks on top of the boiled water (make sure you put the lid on) and turn the hob down to a medium heat.
• Leave for 20-30 minutes but keep checking them by sticking a knife through the chunks (they should be soft but still holding their structure well).
• Whilst that steams away, start prepping all your other ingredients.
• Obviously the size that you choose to chop up your fruit and veg to is your choice, but I would advise cutting up the red onion the most finely as it can be quite pungent in too large a dose.

• Once the potatoes are done, add in all your ingredients but leave your sauce til last. Use equal amounts of the mayonnaise and yoghurt and make sure that all ingredients are completely covered for optimum deliciousness. 
• If you want, keep back your source of protein til last as well and sprinkle on top to add to the finished presentation (doesn't matter if you don't though as long as it tastes good!)
• Don't forget to add black pepper and/or seasonings of your choice.
• Enjoy this salad and the hot weather!

Complimentary tune: Today Was A Good Day - Ice Cube or to rephrase, today would be a much better day with more ice cubes.

Tip of the day: Red onion is a much greater ingredient when raw and is therefore a great addition to most salads (buy them small sized). If you want to cook with onions use white ones, as they are cheaper and much more enjoyable when cooked.

---C