A Light Bright Traditional Potato Salad

A good old fashioned white potato salad is a can't miss dish for parties. This version is a reduced fat, full flavor version of the traditional white potato salad. I haven't done the math, but I think this is less than half, maybe 1/3 of the calories and fat of similar recipes. It holds up well in buffet situations, is not greasey and does't have eggs, tarragon or other stuff kids won't like.

The key is the right kind of starchy potatoes. Your mouth is so busy enjoying the rich, starchy feel it doesn't miss the fat. Use dark, long, baking type potatoes, like a russet not roundish, light colored, new or yukon gold potatoes. If you use a rounder newer potato you may have to mash some of your completed salad-to help soak up the extra wet stuff.

Mmm That's Good Potato Salad
2.5 lbs (half a bag) potatoes (see above)
1 medium onion chopped
2 celery stalks, not greens
chopped greens from 2 ribs celery chopped fine 1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup reduced fat or fat free mayo
1/2 cup fat free plain yogurt, drained*
dill pickle or prepared relish to taste
dash garlic powder, dash celery seed, lotsa fresh black pepper, lotsa salt

Rinse partially peel and clean potatoes. Cut potatoes small-think yahtzee dice, not golf ball. Boil potatoes. While potatoes are boiling, chop onion and celery stalks, keeping the celery greens separate. Throw the onions and celery stalks in the pot with the boiling potatoes. When potatoes are tender, drain in a colander.

When potatoes are mostly cool, place in a bowl with the chopped celery greens, toss. Throw 1/2 cup cider vinegar over cooling potatoes, toss. Let sit for 10 minutes or so and cool completely. When potatoes have cooled completely, add yogurt, reduced fat mayo, and seasonings. Let rest for at least 8 hours for best results. If the salad seems dry after resting overnight add a few spoon fulls of any of the above ingredients.

Feeding a crowd? Double the whole recipe and cook an entire 5 lb bag of potatoes.

*drained yogurt
place yogurt in mesh sieve, cheesecloth, or coffee filter contraption. Let drain for at least 30 minutes. This thickens the yogurt by draining away the whey. If you do it overnight or longer it gets a texture more like sour cream, almost cream cheese and is great in dips. Draining the whey removes most of that yogurty taste too.

HATE YOGURT? fat free sour cream can be substituted but the extra flavor gives this salad a non traditional taste that granny greeensocks and the twins might not like.