Myhusband is Latino, it wasn’t until I got to know his family and cultural traditions that I really understood the broad array of vibrant flavor options and combinations that are available for our tastebuds.
Whether it was a weekday dinner, a holiday feast or a backyard BBQ– every meal his family made was deliciously different. I loved how each dish was authentically prepared with love as the main ingredient; and I watched how happy it made my husband to enjoy his favorite native Puerto Rican dishes with those he loved. I knew then that I must learn to properly make the food that comforts him, and be able to offer this benefit to our future children. So, I learned how….
As we gathered and prepared food, I was intrigued at all the different ingredients; I asked questions about the deviations from or substitutions in classic recipes I knew, and began and soaking in all the information. There were so many new dishes, each one more delicious than the last; but every recipe I learned were completely doable in the kitchen and easily perfected with practice.
One such Latino recipe I learned to make throughout the years was a Puerto Rican style potato salad with some pretty unexpected ingredients that are very different from that of classic Potato salad, but tastes phenomenal! This potato salad pairs beautifully with marinated chicken, steak, or babyback ribs on the grill and thus is commonly a menu item at Latino BBQ’s and cookouts throughout America.
An American BBQ Favorite, and a Classic Side Dish with a Twist
In a country where specific foods are considered classic American staples, real BBQ all the fixins’ are among the top favorite cuisines among many Americans. I remember growing up in Chicago where spring and summer BBQ’s were a constant commonality throughout every neighborhood. BBQ’s were more than just a meal, it was an opportunity to gather with the people that we love and enjoy a quality meal of comfort food– while creating memories and celebrating cultural and family traditions. The traditional American BBQ menu varies, but often include a variety of tastes, textures and types of food items. Generally speaking, when we think of BBQ, main entreé meats such as ribs, burgers, steaks, chicken and chops may come to mind; but we may also think of the side dishes that are commonly served with the main entreé meats as well. A classic potato salad is one of the most common side dishes requested and served at BBQ’s across America. When we think ”potato salad”, the classic homemade mayo, hard-boiled egg, veggie & spices recipe comes to mind; which of course is delicious! (and tastes better if made the night before & allowed to sit in fridge overnight before serving, delish!). But as with any popular dish, this recipe is often tweaked and ‘perfected’ to fit personal or cultural tastesessentially– creating new recipes all together. A classic potato salad recipe contains tasty ingredients as it is, but adding a latin twist and some unexpected ingredients to it, it takes a classic potato salad recipe to a whole new level of deliciousness! As with many other food traditions Puerto Rican style potato salad is a cultural staple on the menu at Puerta Rican inspired BBQ’s in Hispanic communities.
A Latino Twist on Potato Salads
So what exactly is so different about Puerto Rican style potato salad? What’s different, and quite surprising about this potato salad is the fact that it actually contains diced red apples and olive oil. Yep, that’s right… I said red apples! Now wait, when my in-laws first told me that red apples were added to this potato salad I totally thought “What?, I’m not too sure about that.” But, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was soooo good; a lot better than I expected it to be. The light sweetness of the apples actually compliments all the other flavors in this salad and makes your tastebuds feel delightful. Now, I love a classic potato salad, but I had never heard of a potato salad with fruit in it. I thought that because it contained fruit it would be hard to master; but the preparation is a lot easier than you may think, and the cleanup is quick.
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED
- 10 to 12 med/lrg. sized Golden or Russet Potatoes.
- ¾ cup olives with pimentos (Goya brand Mazanilla Olives, with pimentos (& capers).
- ½ to ¾ cup diced red or white onions.
- ½ or so diced roasted pimentos (Mezzetta brand ‘roasted Bell peppers’, OR Goya brand ‘Fancy Sliced Red Pimiento/Sweet Pepper’).
- about ¾ of a stalk of finely diced celery.
- ½ of a yellow bell pepper (optional).
- about ¾ to 1 cup of fresh cilantro.
- 1 tbsp. of olive oil.
- 1 to 1½ large red apples, (red delicious, figi, Macintosh, etc. but NO green apples).
- roughly 6 to 7 hard boiled eggs– chopped.
- literally a squirt of yellow mustard– a little less than a tspn.
- About 6 to 8 tblsps. of real mayonnaise (Kraft brand Real Mayo, or Hellmann’s Mayonnaise)– more or less depending on YOUR taste & consistency preference, add less mayo for thicker salads and add more mayo for a thinner creamier potato salad.
- ¼ cup or so of chopped fresh chives.
- salt and pepper to taste.
- * ½ a cup or so of frozen style, fresh (or canned peas). [*Optional].
- * a very small amount of diced regular dill/kosher pickles– about 1½ tblspns. [*Optional].
KITCHENWARE & UTENSILS YOU’LL NEED:
— 2 medium to large saucepans/pots.
— a collinder (food strainer).
— a cutting board or surface.
— 2 large bowls.
— 1 chopping knife.
— a large stirring spoon
— Aluminum foil or lid to cover serving bowl.
COOKING AND PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:
— First drop 6 to 7 eggs into a pot of water and begin boiling them, let them cook all the way while you prepare the remaining ingredients to be added later.
— Then wash, peel, then chop up chosen potatoes into bite sized pieces…
— After chopping, add potatoes to pot of water and begin boiling, let potatoes cook until tender enough to cut a piece with a butter knife or fork~ place potatoes on the side to be added to the mixture at the very end.
— Wash fresh onions, chives, cilantro, bell peppers, etc. and chop or dice them up.
— Wash celery stalk, and dice up suggested amount into finely diced bits.
— Slice the ¾ cup of olives with pimentos into smaller size bits.
— Slice red peppers into bite sized bits or into short strips. (Want to roast the red peppers before adding them to the mix? Heat up a small frying pan with a dab of olive oil and sautée red peppers about 4-6 mins, remove from heat then slice up the cooked peppers).
— The red apples should be washed and cut up into small bite sizes pieces and is the last raw produce ingredient that should be cut up in order to avoid the color change that occurs in the apples due to oxygen exposure.
— Lastly, after eggs have been fully cooked and hard boiled remove them one by one from boiling water and place them into one of the large bowls filled with cold water; this will allow the eggs to cool faster so you can chop them up.
— Once fully cooked, remove eggs from cold water, peel the external shell from the eggs and then chop them up into bite sized pieces.
— EXCEPT the cooked and chopped potatoes and eggs, combine ALL the remaining chopped ingredients, apples, mayonnaise, mustard, olive oil, salt, pepper (& pickles & peas if desired) into the second large bowl and mix well.
— After mixing these ingredients well, add the potatoes and eggs a little at a time as you’re mixing the ingredients. Continue to mix all ingredients together paying careful attention NOT to mash the potatoes or eggs too much. The idea is to keep it as chunky as you can while, completely coating the ingredients with the mayo mixture.
— After mixing completely, loosely cover the bowl with foil or bowl lid and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving to allow all the flavors to blend and set in.
— Enjoy your ready to serve Puerto Rican style Potato salad with your favorite entreé or alone!
