My Salad Days

Here are two very simple, yet tasty salads to try for summer. I made both of these salads for the Fourth of July along with marinated buttermilk rosemary chicken and all American burgers. The first salad is a pretty traditional potato salad. I don't eat potato salad due to my phobia of anything with mayonnaise in it, but it received rave reviews. By the way, I have a lot of weird rules about food in case you didn't already know. The potato salad recipe I used is from Ina Garten and is featured below:

Ingredients

• 3 pounds small white potatoes
• Kosher salt
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion

Directions

Place the potatoes and 2 tablespoons of salt in a large pot of water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are barely tender when pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then place the colander with the potatoes over the empty pot and cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel. Allow the potatoes to steam for 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, dill, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Set aside.
When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in quarters or in half, depending on their size. Place the cut potatoes in a large bowl. While the potatoes are still warm, pour enough dressing over them to moisten. Add the celery and red onion, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Toss well, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Here is how mine came out:

The second salad I made is a green salad with lettuce, spinach, strawberries, red onion, and almond slivers. I also added Gorgonzola (which is not featured in the picture) because everything is better with cheese! The dressing for this salad is a wonderful, light vinaigrette. The recipe for the vinaigrette featured below makes enough dressing for two. You can double it or triple it depending on how much you need.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon thawed orange juice concentrate

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1-1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger