Standard summer side dishes re-imagined

 

Barbecue and picnic season is upon us—I can almost smell the hamburgers sizzling on the grill or a brisket doing a long, slow burn all day long. What do you serve with them? Why potato salad and beans, of course. Does that ever sound ho-hum to you? Do you wish for some change. Here are two of my favorite recipes that re-imagine those side dishes.

Aunt Reva’s good beans (serves a small army)

Aunt Reva is gone but her recipes and the good times at her table linger on. She and Uncle Charles had a guest ranch in East Texas where my kids and I spent many happy days and nights and ate lots of good food on a porch overlooking a small lake, My idea of heaven.

These beans are so easy. Put them in the crockpot on low and forget them all day if you want. One word of caution: if, like me, you abhor green pepper, don’t omit it here. It makes all the difference.

1 3 lb.-4 oz. can Ranch Style beans

1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes (or two 14 oz.)

1 onion chopped

½ green pepper, seeded and diced

Drain beans but do not rinse. Put into crockpot with other ingredients and simmer all day on low.

Lemon potato salad (serves 8)

Years ago TCU Press had a fan group called Bookish Frogs. We used to have occasional programs, featuring one of our authors and accompanied by a potluck supper. Sue Winter, once a neighbor and always a fellow church member, brought this dish and nothing would do but I have the recipe. I’ve fixed it a lot since that day. It’s a bit of trouble but well worth it.

6 medium red potatoes

1 small onion, finely diced

½ cup diced celery

¼ to ½ cup diced celery

Small jar of diced pimiento (I often omit)

For the sauce:

2 tsps. fresh lemon peel, grated

3-4 Tbsp. lemon juice, fresh

3-4 Tbsp. salad oil

1 Tbsp. salt (don’t skimp)

¼ tsp. pepper

Make sauce ahead. Boil potatoes in jackets until tender. Here’s the hard part: peel and dice potatoes while still warm—they absorb the dressing much better. Add onions, and pour sauce over all. (When I was a kid, I remember the cook at the hospital where my dad worked telling Mom to dice potatoes while warm and pour vinaigrette over them to make traditional mayonnaise potato salad. Same principle is at work here.) Add remaining ingredients and chill before serving.

 

In search of perfect potato salad--and a peek at the State Fair

 

In another life, I was married to a man who ordered cheesecake everywhere it was available. He was always seeking one that reached the standard of the New York’s Carnegie Deli’s cheesecake. I’m that way about potato salad. There is potato salad … and there is potato salad.

I’m not sure what standard I hold up as ideal. I have fond memories of my mom’s potato salad, but I think it was pretty standard: potatoes, celery, green onions, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. She learned a new twist when the Italian cook at the hospital where my dad worked taught her a secret: peel the potatoes while hot, dice, and marinate in a little vinaigrette for a while. Then proceed as usual. (Side note: I made curried chicken salad last night and marinated the chicken, celery, and onion in Newman’s Own Oil & Vinegar for an hour in the fridge before finishing the salad—I could tell it made a difference.)

Back to potato salad. I don’t like that served in most barbecue restaurants—it’s usually mashed potatoes, and I like my potatoes chunked. My friend Elaine is crazy about the potato salad from Mrs. Allen’s in Sweetwater (Allen Family Style Meals—one of Texas’ notable roadside cafés). She brought me some once, but I wasn’t as dippy about it. It’s mashed potatoes, and I think we detected a bit of vinegar. The only barbecue potato salad that comes close for me is Heim’s, but I wish they wouldn’t put bacon in it. See how fussy I am?

My very favorite ever is served at County Line BBQ in Austin and San Antonio. I’ve never been to either place, but the salad was served years ago at a wedding reception, and I’m afraid I made a pig of myself. The recipe for this one is all over the internet (County Line Potato Salad Recipe - Food.com) but it makes enough to feed Coxie’s Army. And it’s a bit of a job to make. One good thing about it: you boil whole russet potatoes, refrigerate until cool, and peel. So much better than trying to peel hot potatoes. I have a recipe for Lemon Potato Salad that is out of this world, but it requires peeling the potatoes while hot so you can marinate in lemon.

Dill pickle relish distinguishes the County Line salad, and these days, thanks to daughter-in-law Lisa, I make a smaller, quicker version of County Line. We had it on the Fourth of July with fried chicken. Before Jean tasted it, we talked about how we make potato salad, and she was vehement about no pickle. But she ate mine with relish (yes, that was a deliberate pun).

Lisa’s potato salad

3 lbs. potatoes (I used red this time, let them chill before I peeled them)

½ c. sweet onion, diced (I am loving the sweet onions this year—one good thing about a hard summer)

4 hardboiled eggs (I omitted because Christian doesn’t eat—turns out he never had the potato salad anyway)

2 Tbsp. dill pickle juice

½ cup dill pickle relish (you might want to cut back a bit on either this or the juice)

1 cup mayonnaise (I’m increasingly making salads like this with half mayo and half sour cream)

¼ cup Dijon mustard

½ tsp. pepper

2-1/2 tsp. salt

Dash paprika

I halved this recipe for two, and I’m still eating leftovers. In fact, I’ve got such good leftovers today, it’s a wonder I’m not eating lunch at ten in the morning: meatloaf, potato salad, marinated cucumbers, curried chicken salad with a cheese/potato chip broiled topping. My cup runneth over.

For those anticipating the Texas State Fair this fall, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram this morning published a list of the eighteen deep-fried creations under consideration this year. I can’t list them all, but here are some samples:

Cajun Lobster Bisque Croquettes — Lightly seasoned fried potato balls filled with a mixture of rich lobster meat and creamy brie cheese, served with a side of Cajun lobster bisque for dipping.

Deep-Fried Lasagna Roll — Pasta is covered with a mixture of ricotta, Parmesan, provolone and mozzarella cheese, then topped with meat sauce. The lasagna roll is dipped in a cheddar-and-herb batter and fried, served with a side of deep-fried Zucchini fries

Holy Biscuit — A biscuit is stacked with shredded brisket and fire-roasted street corn queso. Then, thick-cut bacon drizzled with Texas honey is added and served with pickle French fries.

And on the sweet side ….

Fat Elvis — A blend of peanut butter and strawberry jelly whisked together and spread on a biscuit. A layer of marshmallow fluff and fire toast is next, followed by bacon and fried plantain bananas.

The Ultimate Brookie Monster — Crispy, chewy chocolate chip cookies are layered with Oreos and marshmallows — then covered in triple-chocolate brownie batter and baked together into a super brookie. The super brookie is then fried and showered in powdered sugar and served it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Read more at:

https://www.star-telegram.com/entertainment/article263227288.html#storylink=cpy