Garlicky Herb Red Potato Salad — The One That Tastes Like Sunday at Babcia’s

The cherry wheat got approved. It's going on the summer menu. Marcus told me on Monday morning and I played it cool — "Oh, nice, that's great" — and then I went into the cold storage room and did a fist pump like a twelve-year-old. My name isn't on it or anything. It's a Lakefront beer, not a Jake Kowalski beer. But I was there for every step: the grain bill, the mash, the cherry addition, the fermentation monitoring. I helped make that. People are going to drink something I helped create. That's wild. I went to the taproom on Thursday after my shift and ordered one at the bar. The bartender poured it and it was this gorgeous golden-pink color with a perfect white head and it tasted exactly like I remembered from the sample — tart, fruity, clean. I sat there drinking a beer I helped brew in a taproom where I used to load kegs in the warehouse, and I thought: this is what progress looks like. Not dramatic. Not overnight. Just showing up every day and learning and getting a little better. Saturday night I went out with Kevin and some brewery guys. We hit three bars on KK Avenue, which is Bay View's main strip, and at the last one I met a girl named Alison who was a nursing student at MATC. We talked for an hour. She was nice. Pretty. I got her number. But driving home I realized I wasn't excited about it the way you're supposed to be when you get a girl's number. I don't know what that means. Maybe I'm just not ready. Maybe she wasn't the right one. Mom would tell me I'm overthinking it. She's probably right. Sunday at Babcia's: she made a cold beet and vegetable salad — sałatka jarzynowa — the Polish version of what Americans call a potato salad but about a thousand times better. Potatoes, carrots, peas, pickles, hard-boiled eggs, all in a creamy dressing. Babcia makes it in a giant bowl and it lasts the whole week. She sent me home with a container. I ate it for lunch on Monday and Tuesday and felt like I was still at her kitchen table. Thirteen weeks in. A quarter of a year. I'm brewing beer, I'm learning to cook eggs, and I'm eating Babcia's food every Sunday. Life is simple. I'm starting to think simple is underrated.

Babcia’s sałatka jarzynowa is the gold standard — I know that, and I’m not here to pretend otherwise. But on a Tuesday when the container she sent home with me runs out and I’m still riding the high of my cherry wheat hitting the summer menu, I need something I can actually pull off in my own kitchen. This garlicky herb red potato salad isn’t Babcia’s recipe, but it hits the same note: creamy, cold, honest food that makes you feel like you’re still sitting at someone’s kitchen table. Simple is underrated. She’d probably say the same thing.

Garlicky Herb Red Potato Salad

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min (plus chilling) | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 lbs red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the cooking water
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 tablespoon whole-grain or Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 stalks celery, finely diced

Instructions

1. Boil the potatoes. Place potato chunks in a large pot and cover with cold, well-salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook 15–18 minutes, until the potatoes are just fork-tender but not falling apart. Drain and spread on a sheet pan to cool for 10 minutes.
2. Make the dressing. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the garlic, mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, and white wine vinegar until smooth. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and the black pepper.
3. Combine. Add the warm potatoes to the bowl with the dressing and toss gently to coat — letting them absorb the dressing while still slightly warm helps the flavor soak in. Fold in the celery and scallions.
4. Add the herbs. Stir in the fresh dill and parsley. Taste and adjust salt, vinegar, or pepper as needed.
5. Chill. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. The salad keeps well for up to 4 days in the fridge, and honestly tastes better on day two.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 210 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 29g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 380mg