Friday, September 26, 2008

Greek Yogurt and Potato Salad

Okay, I must admit I am behind the 8 ball with this. I have been hearing people rave about it for a long while now. I finally took the plunge and got some… Greek yogurt. Honestly, I don’t know what makes it so different. I understand that is it strained, but I have stained regular yogurt before for recipes, and it did not have the same effect at all. Greek yogurt is dense and creamy, to me it has the consistency of a soft ice cream in your mouth without the cold. It tastes like a mix between sour cream and cream fraiche.The first time I had it I put some bananas and a touch of honey in. Oh my gosh, it was sooo good. Yesterday I used it to make potato salad. I was trying to pair the calories down but not loose the flavor. I was trying to see if 2% Greek yogurt would do it for me. I used one container of the 2% Greek yogurt, 3 tbs mayo (just in case…) and 4 tbs Dijon mustard. I thought it was fabulous. It was creamy like a sour cream based potato salad. The key was… what would my Dad think? My Dad isn’t a fan of healthy cooking, unless a dish is just naturally healthy. He would rather take the eat less/enjoy more approach than cut flavor. So I wanted to see if he could detect the impostor. One thing I love (and at moments dread) is my fathers complete inability to hold his tongue. If he doesn’t like it, you WILL know. Generally in the form of, “What the hell did you do to that dish!?” Gee Dad, tell me how you really feel. I am happy to report nothing was said… which from Dad is good.
So here is what I did:

8 medium potatoes cubed and boiled until just, tender
2 stalks of celery
½ bunch of chives (more or less to taste)
1 7oz container of 2% Greek yogurt
3 tbs mayo ( I think you could more than safely omit this, but maybe substitute 1 tsp lemon a pinch of lemon zest)
4 TBS good quality Dijon mustard (like this)
2tbs vinegar
Pinch of of sugar
Salt/pepper
3 chicken bullion cubes

Chop celery and put in a large bowl with vinegar and pinch of sugar. Add potatoes to pot and cover with water.  I heavily season my water because…well it will season the potatoes which I think produces a much better potato salad. Go crazy. Put herbs, bay leaves, whatever. I also put bullion in the water. Boil potatoes (putting them in cold water will allow them to cook more evenly) Once the potatoes are ready, drain immediately put in the bowl and toss. Then let sit for about 10-15 minutes and let it cool off. Add chives. In bowl mix, yogurt, mustard and mayo. Toss on salad. Season to taste. Let cool.
Potatoes ,as do most starches, will keep absorbing the dressing. So you may want to either hold about a ¼ in reserve until right before you serve or, another trick is to put a tablespoon of milk in and toss to moisten it up.
Clearly you can add more things to the potato salad. You may like sweet relish or eggs in there. Go for it. Also other, non traditional seasoning could be great like curry (my favorite) or thyme or rosemary.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

YUP! You have inspired me, for sure! I am going to make this for dinner tonight. It just sounds yummy. With my whole foods thing, I've learned to really appreciate some of the creams and cultures like Creme fraiche, pima cream, and yoghurts. I CANNOT WAIT to try Greek yogurt. I'll let you know how it goes!

Your dad sounds so much like my dad. He's my litmus test as well (and can't hold his tongue at all). Sometimes a little brutal honesty is just what you need! LOL

Christian Paolino said...

I made this yesterday. I really don't like mayo but I was not feeling brave b/c it was for a party so I used it as called for in the recipe. It was a big hit! I might try it again with less or no mayo and maybe a little more of the yogurt just to see how that comes out.

Seasonings used:
-fresh dill
-thyme
-lemon pepper