Lebanese Potato Salad - Salatat Al Bataata

Hope your weekend was as fantastic as ours.  The weather was amazing!  It was raining Saturday morning, but the clouds dissipated and the sun came out in all it's glory.  The temperature was perfect.  I will take all of that weather we can get.

Sunday, our grandson had a make up fall little league game.  Everyone was invited here to dinner afterwards and it needed to be something kind of simple that could mostly be made ahead.  So, I went with a tailgating kind of theme.  You can tailgate for baseball right?  If it's not really de rigueur for baseball like it is for football, perhaps we will start a new trend.

All the grandsons think hot dogs are something magical as my daughter says.  They don't get them often and we don't either, so I thought we would grill some hot dogs, Irish bangers, and some good old Polska Kielbasa.  I mean, who doesn't love a good Polish sausage?  I made chili early in the day so everyone could have a big old chili dog, or a bowl of chili, whichever they preferred.  There were all the "fixins" for the hot dogs and sausages, and I made chocolate rice krispie treats for dessert.  Now, that is a meal fit for a kid if there ever was one.  The adults seem to enjoy it quite a bit too now that I think of it.

For the adults in the group (I do try to consider them too), if they didn't want chili, I made some lebanese potato salad with a recipe my daughter got from her mother in love who came to America from Lebanon when she was 18.  This is some good potato salad, let me tell you!  There is NO mayonnaise so it won't spoil.  Something  you might consider next time you need a pot luck dish!

This potato salad has a really bright lemony flavor that I love.  (Remember, I never met a potato I didn't like.)  The parsley adds a wonderful flavor.  Other countries use lots of parsley in their recipes, but we don't.  I think it's time to start another treat.  It's

This recipe is  easy to make (even better) and is super delicious!  Here is what you need:

 7/8 good sized potatoes, scrubbed (I'd say about 3 pounds)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 big lemons)
1/4 cup good olive oil
salt
fresh parsley

Boil the potatoes until fork tender.  Remove from stove and pour off the hot water.  Cover with cold water and let sit until you can handle the potatoes without burning your hands.

Remove the skins by simply pulling them off.  (It's kind of fun)  Cut the potatoes into cubes and salt to taste.

Mix the dressing of olive oil, and lemon juice.  Pour the dressing over the potatoes and toss.

Remove the leaves from the parsley until you have about 1/2 to 3/4 cup.  Rough chop and sprinkle over the potato salad.  Toss.

That's it!  How easy is that?

I love potato salad of all varieties and this one has become one of my favorites!  If you feel it may need a little more dressing, just make sure you use the olive oil and lemon juice in the same quantity.

This is an excellent side dish when you want something different and it's GREAT for tailgaiting since you don't have to worry about spoilage.  The only thing I might add next time are some chopped scallions, green and white parts.  Some recipes also call for a little chopped mint.  I'm not a big mint fan, but you may love it.  Remember, mint is a strong flavor, so add about 1/4 cup of chopped mint if you want.

Give this recipe a try!  Dan loved it and he is VERY picky about potato salad. And, thanks Alma for sharing another of your fabulous native dishes!  

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Parsley - the jewel of herbs, both in the pot and on the plate.  Albert Stockli