Are you ready for summer or has the heat already made you tired?? Well, summer is perfect for parties – so have a glass of iced tea and start planning a time to visit with friends and family.

If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I like to mix things up and throw in a recipe here and there. Because where there are lights there’s a party – and where there’s a party…. food is very important!

Here is a recipe for potato salad that I’ve been perfecting to the detriment of my waistline for the last few months. As with all things yummy, it is based on the premise that you shouldn’t need a measuring cup or measuring spoon for everything you cook. So, taste as you go and try different vegetables depending on what you have in the fridge.

Hot and Spicy Potato Salad

1. For each person or serving, wash and peel one medium yukon gold potato plus one for the pot. If you have some heavy eaters in the house, you might add 2-5 more “for the pot”. Start “enough” eggs in a pan of cool water to make hardboiled eggs now. Set a timer for 15 minutes after the eggs come to a boil. (Don’t drop your eggs in boiling water – that will make a mess.)

2. Cut the potatoes in a large cube – a little bigger than the size of a cheese cube on a party tray – definitely not a dice. Add to boiling, lightly salted water and cook just until easily pierced with a fork. (You don’t want them crunchy but this is not one of those mashed potato salad recipes 🙂 Drain. (Absolutely don’t rinse them – keep them hot!)

3. Put the hot potatoes in a bowl. Add your cooked, shelled, coarsely chopped boiled eggs.

4. Now look in your fridge and find some crunchy vegetables. Chop and add them to the potatoes. If you are really good with time management, you might have considered starting your chopping while the potatoes were cooking. I like red and yellow peppers for this, sometimes celery, and occasionally onion.

(If you use onion, consider putting the diced onions in a colander and pouring the hot water from your potatoes over the onions, thus blanching them and removing most of the bitter sulphur flavor that make onions so sharp.)

4. Throw in some chopped cooked bacon. Or cheat and add a handful (or two) of real bacon bits that you buy in a big bag at Sam’s or Costco. 🙂 I love this!!!

5. Add a pinch or two of salt – not too much because we have a couple of surprise additions.

6. Now add a couple big spoonfuls of Hellman’s mayonnaise. Toss on that a handful … or two … of feta cheese – I guess that depends on the size of your hand.

Now add a couple squirts of Siracha. Siracha is that hot Thai garlic chili paste that is on all the tables in most Thai and Vietnamese restaurants. (You can find it just about anywhere nowadays but certainly in an Asian market.) A little goes a long way so don’t add too much at first but make sure that you can taste the heat. The fat of the Hellman’s and the cheese will take the edge off the super spicy Siracha and make your potato salad incredible.

7. You can finally stir everything up. (I hope you haven’t been stirring after every step!) Add more mayo if you need it. Taste for salt. Add more Siracha is you don’t get a kick. Everything should still be warm. The cheese should be melting into the salad.

8. Garnish with green onion. (optional)

Heaven.

This salad is a great accompaniment to burgers, steak, or stands alone.

It may not be that cold salad that you’ve come to expect but it will be a wonderful surprise at your next party. It’s also fun to make with the friends who come early! Give everyone a job chopping!

Keep your summer menus simple with steaks, burgers, venison or chicken accompanied with easy and filling salads. Ice tea is easy and inexpensive to make for a crowd and I’ll post how to make the perfect tea later!

And don’t forget to string mini lights under the ceiling of your patio or deck and/or along your fence-line! (I just couldn’t resist a small lighting tip!)

Have fun creating your own version of this potato salad this weekend.