I love a parade. I’m lucky enough to be a part of the U.S. Potato Board PR team and spend Thanksgivings in New York City managing the Healthy MR. POTATO HEAD balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. So come July 4th, I’m more than ready for my parade fix and make the short walk (I live in Elmhurst on the T Street parkway) with my hubby, doggy, and baby to the annual East Sacramento 4th of July parade.
While the parade-marchers are a spectacle in themselves (just a bunch of locals walking the streets of 41st and 42nd in their red, white, and blue bests), my favorite part is the party-watching and checking out the food and festivities being held curbside along the route. Some people go as far as renting tables and chairs to accommodate their guests. Others rope off sections of their lawn dedicating it to a special car for public viewing or perhaps telling wannabe East Sac-ers like me that we aren’t welcome to their party.
It’s all very spirited and fun and certainly gets you feeling patriotic (the blaring sounds of “America the Beautiful” might contribute to that). The best part is bumping into friends. We even saw fellow FH’er, Melinda McRae and her husband, Johnnie Beer; they had made a pit stop at Club 2Me before venturing out. Ahh, to be kid-free again.
Anyway, since we couldn’t crash any good parade-route parties, we headed to a dear friend’s pool in Fair Oaks with “Red, White, and Blue Potato Salad” in hand, of course. After all, what’s a parade day without potatoes?
Red, White and Blue Potato Salad
(Recipe and photo courtesy of the U.S. Potato Board - a client of FH)
Serve warm or cold with grilled steak, burgers, chicken or fish.
1 pound small white potatoes (“Creamer” Fingerling or Yukon Gold)
1 pound small red potatoes
12 ounces Purple Peruvian potatoes
3 tablespoons walnut oil, or olive oil, divided
2 ounces chopped ham
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tablespoons sherry or white balsamic vinegar
1 cup finely chopped red or orange bell pepper
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Cut the potatoes into 1 1/2 –inch pieces (do not peel). Steam for 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Heat 1 tablespoon walnut oil in a medium skillet. Add ham, walnuts, and garlic. Sauté 10 minutes. Add sherry vinegar, stir well. In a large bowl, toss ham mixture with potatoes, additional 2 tablespoons walnut oil, red pepper, green onions, salt and pepper. Serve warm or cold.
Makes 8 servings.
For more potato salad recipes, click here.
Garrett says
It is my firm belief that all potato salads should have minced bacon in them. That was you can skip salting it, and you get those nice meaty nuggets of joy amongst the veggies.
sacfhoodies says
If you’re a bacon fan, you have to try this Potato Vegetable Bake that’s cooked on the grill. It has a smoky bacon flavor – so good! http://healthypotato.com/downloads/recipes/PotatoVeggieBake.pdf
-Amy J.