A couple of weeks ago my young daughter called me and was complaining that nobody came to the tail-gate her sorority put on for the football game. I asked her what they served and she said “hotdogs." Now, I like a hotdog as well as the next guy, but dang, not at a big tailgate. So I said, “it ain’t no wonder nobody came. Yall need some real food for your tailgate." She said it was only their second season of football, so they really didn’t know how to throw a big par-tay at the stadium, would I come down and do it for the next game. Well, of course, what daddy wouldn’t? So I smoked about 60 lbs of butts and made up a bunch of appetizers and sides. Included in the mix was: Potato Salad (scaled back for home consumption, not for 60 people) About 1/2 doz white potatoes, or about 12-14 biggish new (red) potatoes 4 boiled eggs chopped up, a fifth (sliced) to use as garnish (and eat any left over) About 4 TB mayo About 2 TB mustard (I use basic French’s yellow, but use whatever you like) About 2 TB dill relish About 2 TB sweet relish Salt Pepper Peel the white potatoes, or trim the red potatoes, leaving some peel on them. I use red potatoes because I like the way the peel looks in the final product. Chop potatoes into small cubes. Boil or steam the potatoes. I steam mine. Dump potatoes into a big pan and let them cool for a little while. I use a big stainless dish pan I got from my Momma. She used it to shell butterbeans when I was a kid. Use a big pan because you need room to stir. Stir in the other ingredients. I add the mayo/mustard/relish a little at a time and taste along the way. Some people like to add a little sour cream to the mix, or replace the mayo with sour cream. I don't, but it's a matter of taste. Stir in salt and pepper to taste. I put it in those Glad containers that are about the size of a loaf of bread if I'm travelling with it. If you can, refrigerate it and plan to eat it tomorrow. Sprinkle some paprika on top and garnish with boiled egg slices. About onions in potato salad: This potato salad was made for a bunch of young ladies, so I did not include onions. I bet 10 of them asked me if it had onions in it, and I was glad to say “cher, no.” They ate it like they were starving. Now, I like onions, so I very finely chop about ¼ white or red onion and add it to the mix a little at a time. For some reason onion in potato salad can be overpowering, so keep a light hand and taste as you go. And a big crowd showed up. I thought I'd never get rid of the KA's. I don't know whether it was the food or the gang of Chi O's...
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