Italian Potato Salad

Fourth of July week. Grand Island does the Fourth the way all Nebraska towns do the Fourth: a parade that takes forty-five minutes and features every fire truck, tractor, and civic organization in the county, followed by a picnic, followed by fireworks at the fairgrounds that start at dusk, which in July means 9:30 p.m., which means four children who are exhausted and sugar-wired and will not sleep until midnight, which means the Fifth of July is always worse than the Fourth.

I hauled Monday and Tuesday — a short run to Lincoln and back, frozen beef. The highway was already filling up with vacation traffic, RVs and trailers and families heading to places that are not Nebraska, which is what people from Nebraska do on the Fourth: they leave. We do not leave. We stay and we grill and we watch the fireworks and we go to bed smelling like bug spray and sparklers, and this is patriotism in the Midwest — not leaving.

Dave made his potato salad, which is the only thing Dave makes and which he makes perfectly: red potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, celery, onion, mayo, mustard, salt, pepper. He has made this potato salad for every Fourth of July for fourteen years, and it has not changed once, because Dave does not change recipes. Dave does not change anything. Dave finds what works and does it forever, which is also how he married me.

The fireworks were good. Josie sat in my lap, which she is technically too big for and which I allow because the number of years a child will sit in your lap is finite and you do not know the number and so you say yes every time. Tyler and Justin sat on the truck tailgate. Amber sat with a friend from school, which is new and which I am fine with because fifteen-year-olds need friends more than they need mothers at fireworks, and the fact that she was thirty feet away and I could see her was enough.

I made my standard Fourth contribution: red, white, and blue fruit salad — strawberries, blueberries, marshmallows, Cool Whip. It is not sophisticated. It is not a recipe in any meaningful sense. It is a bowl of fruit and sugar and patriotism, and the kids eat it with spoons standing in the yard, and the Cool Whip gets on their shirts, and the shirts are already ruined from sparklers, so the Cool Whip is irrelevant.

Dave’s potato salad is untouchable—fourteen years of proof, and I’m not going to argue with fourteen years. But every Fourth of July, watching him make that same bowl with the same spoon, I get a little itch to make my own. Not to replace his. Just to have one that’s mine. This Italian Potato Salad is it: no mayo, just a bright vinegar-and-herb dressing that holds up in the heat, doesn’t wilt in the sun, and somehow disappears from the bowl faster than anything else on the table.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 35 min (plus chilling) | Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 lbs small red potatoes, quartered
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1/3 cup diced roasted red peppers
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup shaved or shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Boil the potatoes. Place quartered red potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer and cook 12—15 minutes, until fork-tender but not falling apart. Drain and let cool slightly.
Make the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper until emulsified.
Dress the warm potatoes. While potatoes are still warm, transfer them to a large mixing bowl and pour about two-thirds of the dressing over them. Toss gently—warm potatoes absorb dressing much better than cold ones. Let sit 10 minutes.
Add the mix-ins. Add sliced olives, roasted red peppers, red onion, and parsley. Toss to combine. Taste and add remaining dressing as desired.
Chill and finish. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Before serving, top with shaved Parmesan and a sprinkle of fresh parsley. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Italian Potato Salad — The Side Dish That Steals the Show Every Fourth of July