Perfect potato salad starts with proper prep

By LYNNE ROSSETTO KASPER

March 19, 2008 at 9:28PM

Q My husband loves new red potato salad, as do I. With him being back and forth to Iraq and training in the Army, I especially want my cooking to be good and wonderful so he has great thoughts of great food while he's away. Anyway, I was wondering if you have any tips on how to boil potatoes. I have a problem with undercooking them. I've failed at even just boiling them. How do you know they're at the right place without being mushy?

A A couple of things add up to get those potatoes cooked the way you want them. Start with small to medium-size red skin potatoes. Large potatoes usually don't cook evenly because by the time the center is done, the outer part is overdone.

Start the potatoes in cool water with a generous amount of salt (a tablespoon for every quart of water), do not peel them before cooking and cook them in gently bubbling water that covers them completely. For 11/2-inch to 2-inch diameter potatoes, anticipate 8 to 9 minutes; larger potatoes take longer.

"Done" is when you pierce a potato with a small knife and it slides into the center with just a little resistance. Immediately drain the potatoes in a colander. I rinse them with cold water for a minute or two, then peel and dress the potatoes while they are warm so they absorb more dressing.

No doubt you have a favorite recipe your husband loves, but when you want something different, see what you think of today's recipe for Potato Salad With Sautéed Indian Spices.

How big is large? Q When a recipe calls for a large onion, how large is "large"? While we're at it, how big are medium and small onions?

A All of this is approximate, of course, but by my lights, a large onion is about 5 inches in diameter, a medium about 31/2 inches and small about 2 inches. While we are at it, let's talk onion realities. White, red and yellow onions all can be strong-flavored because color has little to do with taste. So-called sweet onions (sweet because their sulfur content has been genetically reduced) will be labeled, as in Walla Walla, Maui, Vidalia, etc.

Store onions in an open basket in a cool dark place. They need air circulating around them. You can reduce tears by chilling onions for a couple of hours before cutting. Another trick is to throw a towel over chopped onions if they have to wait to go into the pan. Otherwise, those fumes keep rising.

Lynne Rossetto Kasper hosts "The Splendid Table," Minnesota Public Radio's weekly show, www.splendidtable.org. Send questions to table@mpr.org.

about the writer

about the writer

LYNNE ROSSETTO KASPER