Texas Potato Salad

In an effort to get my kids to try new foods
my husband told them that they each had food goggles that represents the food that they've tried and that they like.  Since I have a slightly exotic palate John explained that my goggles were huge where the kids goggles were very narrow.  If they wanted bigger goggles they would need to try more foods.

My older son didn't buy it, but my younger one ate it up and ever since has been asking "how big are my goggles now?"

I still have the largest goggles in the family but I do have a few large blind spots.  There are two foods that I hated growing up and that I still do not like.  Eggs and mayonnaise.  If a recipe calls for mayonnaise I usually either leave it out or I sub yogurt or sour cream for it.  The stuff is just nasty.  And my preferred way to eat eggs is mixed with flour, butter and sugar and baked into cookies or cake.  They only way I eat scrambled eggs is in a breakfast burrito that has so much sausage, peppers, potatoes, cheese, and salsa that the eggs become nothing more than a garnish and I can't even taste them.

My dislike for eggs and mayo can be a bit of a problem for the summer barbecue.  Every barbecue comes with potato salad and every potato salad comes with eggs and mayonnaise.  Well, almost every potato salad because this one has none of that.  Instead it has caramelized onions, fresh cilantro, toasted cumin and coriander seeds, and don't forget the bacon.  It is a flavor explosion in every bite.

Now I can love potato salad.  Try this recipe and you will too.  Open your goggles to try a potato salad without eggs and mayo and you won't regret it.

(Ironically the dish that my mother in law is famous in her family for is her potato salad.  Since John loves it I have occasionally condescended to make a traditional potato salad.  I'm not sure why I bother though because apparently mine never turns out as good as his Mom's.  My mother in law adds olives to her potato salad and apparently, it's really good.  If you are in to that whole mayo and egg thing, try adding olives, you might like it.)


Texas Potato Salad
Source

Ingredients:

3 pounds small red potatoes

1 red onion, cut into thick slices

1 tablespoon Coriander Seed

8 Cumin Seed

1 tablespoon Oregano Leaves, Mexican

2 serrano or jalapeño pepper, minced

3 slices bacon, crisply cooked and coarsely chopped

1 bunch fresh cilantro, thick stems discarded and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper

Directions:

Fill a pot with boiling water. Cook clean potatoes in boiling water 20 to 25 minutes or until tender. Don't over cook or you'll end up with mashed potato salad.  Drain and cool to room temperature. Quarter the potatoes; set aside.

Heat a skillet (I like to use my cast iron skillet) over high heat and cook onions until lightly caramelized.

Toast coriander and cumin seeds in small dry skillet on medium heat 1 minute or until fragrant. Add oregano; lightly toast for only about 20 seconds, you don't want it to burn. Immediately remove spices from skillet.

Whisk oil, vinegar, toasted spices, salt and pepper in large bowl. Add potatoes, onions, serrano pepper, bacon and cilantro.  Toss to coat and enjoy.