Recipes Of Our Mothers - Anne Weil DiMonte's Potato Salad

Submitted by Regina DiMonte Freedman:

"As interesting and complex my mother was as a person, that definitely wasn’t what she was as a cook. Meat, potatoes and bacon fat ruled the days of the week. Saturday's lunchmeat sandwiches, potato salad, pickles and beer graced our Formica kitchen table. Sundays were reserved for my grandmother’s cooking. Looking back, I would have to say that I loved Saturday dinners because of my mother’s potato salad. I have served many types of potato salad in my day and I appreciate them all, even the Russian kind that is purple but whenever I make my mother’s recipe, I get the most compliments. Sometimes simpler is better. I remember my mother saying, 'you don’t need to put any extras in your potato salad to make it taste good...the same goes for having too many extras in life.' I tend to agree with this sentiment so here is a simple potato salad recipe I would like to share with you special readers of Evenings With Peter. I wish you the simple good life."

Potato Salad Recipe
4lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes
Place unpeeled potatoes in a large pot of water. Bring to a boil and keep the heat high boiling them until they are soft.
As they are cooking, dice 4 celery stalks and 3/4 of a yellow onion. Make sure the diced pieces are very small, no large chunks please. Do not use a food processor.
Once the potatoes are soft, place them in a colander and run cold water over them as you peel off the skins.
Place them in a bowl and smash them with a fork or use your hands.
Add Hellmann’s mayonnaise, don’t skimp. No diet stuff, no other mayo either.
Add diced celery and onion. Add salt and pepper if you like.
Serve yourself and anyone who is lucky enough a warm plate as soon as it is done.
Cool in the refrigerator. Keeps for a few days if you can refrain from sneaking spoonfuls in the middle of the night.