POTATO SALAD - Daring Cooks' Challenge - June / 2011

Leia em PORTUGUÊS

Jami Sorrento was our June Daring Cooks hostess and she chose to challenge us to celebrate the humble spud by making a delicious and healthy potato salad. The Daring Cooks Potato Salad Challenge was sponsored by the nice people at the United States Potato Board, who awarded prizes to the top 3 most creative and healthy potato salads. A medium-size (5.3 ounce) potato has 110 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, no sodium and includes nearly half your daily value of vitamin C and has more potassium than a banana!

I almost had to sit this challenge out. The days just passed by and I didn't notice, and when I realized it was almost due, so I decided to improvise using up what I had in the fridge to clean it up before my vacation trip to Brazil. So, this is my humble but delicious contribution for the challenge, Potato & Chicken Salad.

At a first glance, this challenge seemed so simple to accomplish, but I was pleasantly surprised at the array of amazing salads created by the other Daring Cooks which you can see visiting THE DARING KITCHEN. I really have to update my repertoire of potato salad recipes :o)

Thank you Jami for the great challenge!

POTATO & CHICKEN SALAD

Ingredients:

3 medium potatoes, cooked with their skin and cooled

1/2 cup finely chopped carrots steamed (al dente)

1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely diced

1/4 cup onions, finely chopped

2 Tbsp pickled cucumber, finely chopped

1/2 cup smoked ham, finely diced

1 cup cooked chicken breast, shredded (you can use leftovers)

1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

2 Tbsp olive oil

10 green olives, chopped

2 hard boiled eggs

For homemade Mayonnaise:

(yields approx. 1 cup)

1 egg
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

1 pinch of freshly grated black pepper

1 Tbsp onion, chopped

2 tsp mustard (Iused Dijon)

1/4 cup olive oil

vegetable oil (I used corn oil)

Put all ingredients for the mayonnaise (except oils) in the tall glass of a hand mixer. Blend for a few seconds. With the blender on, add the olive oil slowly. When you finish with the olive oil, start adding the vegetable oil in the same way (you will use about 1/2 cup), until it thickens to mayonnaise consistency. The more oil, the thicker it gets.

Fold in the chopped boiled eggs to half of the mayonnaise. Set aside.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into medium sized cubes. Add them to a bowl.

Prepare the other ingredients as described above and add them to the potatoes.

Toss all ingredients in the bowl with the egg/mayonnaise mixture. 

Add more mayonnaise to taste.

Add more salt if necessary.

You can serve the potato salad inside hollowed out tomatoes, or as desired.