Lemon-Garlic Potato Salad

I love a great tasting potato salad. Creamy, vibrant and utterly delicious. It is the perfect side and pairing for a summer picnic and barbecue. It's often paired with a crispy BBQ chicken or equally welcome with a stay-at-home sandwich. Comforting and pleasing. There are countless recipes and flavour options available and you can't go wrong whichever way you choose. Let me add one more to the argument.

I love adding a big spoonful of this recipe to the side of a plate and a sandwich on a weekend afternoon but I've always been known to throw a bowl of this on the table when I'm grilling up something zesty and spicy. I can make a bowlful and snack on this, which I do when I have a big bag of beautiful potatoes sitting around that are urging me to get to work.

The best thing about this recipe is the time it takes to bring it all together. If you have 30 minutes to spare, you can make this salad. 30 minutes and someone will be singing your praises and patting you on the back. Not bad at all. Just remember these three key points:

1. The kind of potato you use matters. Use high-moisture varieties like Russets or Red potatoes. 
2. Cook the potatoes carefully. Fork-tender and take it off the heat and drain right away.
3. Dress the potatoes while they're still nice and hot.

Whisk together the ingredients in a one bowl and pour off the tender potatoes in another. The real secret to a great potato salad is dressing the potatoes when they're hot. Potatoes are most-absorbent when they're hot, so season immediately and dress right away. After that, you're good to go. If you want warm potato salad you can serve it immediately, but you can cover and put it in the fridge to cool it down as well. Two options, both winners. The people you serve this to will demand you email them the recipe. They'll also make sure you bring this to every gathering in the future.

Lemon-Garlic Potato Salad

Yields: 4-6

The Goods:
1 lb. Russet potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 lemons, juice and zest
3 eggs, hard-boiled
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp. cayenne
2 tbsp. capers, drained
Kosher salt & freshly cracked black pepper
4 cloves garlic, roasted and finely chopped

The Prep:
1. Place the potatoes in a large bowl and cover by 1-2 inches with cold water. Add 1 tbsp. of salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until fork-tender, about 12 minutes. Drain well.
2. Combine all other ingredients in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the hot potatoes and mix well until fully coated.
3. Season again to taste before serving.

A hint of spice and crazy flavour!