Spicy Cajun Potato Salad

New Year's 2027. Black-eyed peas for the fourteenth year. Dustin made them again — third year in a row. He's getting better. The onion was barely burned. The ham hock was properly simmered. The bay leaf was removed before serving (last year he forgot and I bit into it, which is not a resolution-worthy experience). Dustin Turner is slowly, imperceptibly, becoming a cook. Not a good cook. But a cook. A man who can make one dish per year with decreasing levels of failure. Progress is progress.

Resolution: second cookbook. Not another self-published Amazon book — something bigger. Something that includes the food bank recipes, the cooking class curriculum, the stories from the classes. A cookbook about feeding people who don't know how to feed themselves. Not "Five Dollars, Five People" — that was about me, about my kitchen, about my budget. This one is about them. The families in the classes. The woman whose kids never had Thanksgiving dinner. The twenty-two-year-old mom in the back row who thinks she can't cook. This book is for her. This book is called — I haven't decided yet, but it's going to be something about starting from nothing, because nothing is where most people start, and starting is the hardest part.

Dustin's resolution: the business. Again. Still. He's been saving — a separate account, like the KitchenAid mixer fund but bigger. He won't tell me the number. He says, "When it's ready, I'll tell you." The man who doesn't keep secrets keeps one secret, and the secret is a savings account for a dream he's had since he was twenty-two and crawling under houses for someone else's company. Turner Heating & Air. The name exists in his head the way "counter space" existed in mine. Someday. Not yet. But someday.

Dustin’s black-eyed peas are getting there — they really are — but a pot of peas deserves something bold sitting next to it on the table, something with a little fire and intention. This Spicy Cajun Potato Salad is exactly that: the kind of dish that doesn’t apologize for itself, the kind I’d teach in a cooking class because it’s simple enough to start from nothing and satisfying enough to make you feel like you know what you’re doing. If this year is about bigger things — bigger books, bigger dreams, bigger savings accounts we won’t talk about yet — it might as well start with a plate that matches the ambition.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 lbs small red or Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Creole or whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (plus more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
4 green onions, sliced (white and green parts)
1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
Salt and black pepper to taste
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Boil the potatoes. Place potato chunks in a large pot and cover with cold salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook 15—18 minutes, until fork-tender but not falling apart. Drain and spread on a sheet pan to cool for 10 minutes.
Make the dressing. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Creole mustard, apple cider vinegar, Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, and cayenne until smooth and well combined.
Combine the vegetables. Add the celery, green onions, and red bell pepper to the dressing. Stir to coat.
Fold in the potatoes and eggs. Add the cooled potatoes and chopped hard-boiled eggs to the bowl. Gently fold everything together until evenly dressed, being careful not to break up the potatoes too much.
Season and chill. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning as needed. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving to let the flavors meld. Garnish with fresh parsley just before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Spicy Cajun Potato Salad — Because Southern Traditions Deserve a Worthy Side