Roseann's Potato Salad Recipe

Okay, you might be wondering why my first post in several months is about my mom's potato salad, and to be honest, I'm wondering the same thing (considering it's been months since my previous blog post). However, I feel compelled to share my mom's family recipe for her potato salad for one specific reason: it's delicious. You can call it, Roseann's Potato Salad, or Figura Family Potato Salad, or simply: Mom's Potato Salad. Whatever floats your boat (or floats your potato, if you prefer that one more *ha-ha). This recipe has been in our family for generations. My mom, Roseann, who is really my biological grandmother--if you've read my short story Who She Was in my published collection, you'll understand--has made this potato salad since before I was born. In fact, my mom never wrote this recipe down but rather, she had it memorized because it was taught to her by her grandmother, Leona Barley. And Leona learned this recipe from her family members before her. So those before Leona in my family made this recipe, my grandma (who's technically my great grandma) Laura, and my mom Roseann (who's technically my grandma) all made this potato salad. It's been in our family for a very long time, and here's the cool part: It's easy to make. Yes, you read that correctly. It's easy to make! My entire life, my mom made this potato salad for family reunions, church potlucks (at South Hill's Assembly of God, Veneta Church of Christ, and Ekklesia Eugene), SILVI (group for the blind, and yes, my mom Roseann is blind), each and every Thanksgiving and Christmas, and she has made it as a gift to our friends and neighbors. I convinced my mom to write down this recipe to the best of her ability by asking, "Mom, I think others would enjoy making your potato salad. Will you write the recipe down sometime, so I can share it online for others?" At first, she didn't want to. And I was sad because it's piquant, and not only that, but I also want to make it myself. After a few months, I came home one day from work and there it was, smack-dab in the middle of my desk, her recipe. It was such a surprise.

So, I present to you, our family potato salad recipe:

Ingredients

• 6 potatoes

• 4 boiled eggs

• 3 heaping tablespoons of mayonnaise

• 1 teaspoon vinegar

• 1 tablespoon of mustard

• 4 to 5 sweet pickles

• 2 tablespoon sweet pickle juice

• Onion (about 1 tablespoon, diced).

• Paprika

Directions:

Boil eggs (to make hard boiled eggs), wait for them to cool, then peal them. Next, remove the skin from the potatoes, then boil skinless potatoes until soft all the way through. When potatoes are cooled off, cut up (dice) the potatoes into approx. 1-2 cm long rectangles/squares. Put the diced potato pieces into a bowl. Add 3 boiled eggs (also diced), 3 heaping tablespoons of mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 tablespoon of mustard, 4 to 5 cut up pickles (diced), 2 tablespoons of sweet pickle juice, and one tablespoon of diced onions. Stir mixture. Once stirred, put into serving container. Then take the remaining 1 boiled egg and cut into round shape (see picture above). The last step is to sprinkle paprika on top, then put in refrigerator. After 3-4 hours of refrigeration, the potato salad will be ready to eat.

It may seem like a lot of steps to make this potato salad, but once you practice this a few times, and perhaps add your own touch (such as adding bacon or finding the right measurements based on your tastebuds), you'll discover that this recipe is simple and yes, I'm being repetitious on purpose: this potato salad is delicious. Remember, my mom has made this recipe hundreds of times, and she's blind! Each time she makes this for me, I'm always reminded by how incredible my mom is and how she can do so much although she can't see as well as I do. And I'm always reminded of all the people at potlucks, family gatherings, and so forth, who enjoyed my mom's potato salad and complimented her. Try this potato salad as a side with baked chicken, and/or try it with baked beans.

Thank you, and I hope enjoy!