Shhhh....don't tell

I am as southern as they come and I have been peeling potatoes and making homemade creamed potatoes for too many years to count.  When I was in nursing school it became very difficult for me to do everything I always did for big family gatherings so I tried these mashed potatoes.  I microwaved them and hid all the evidence and put them in the crock pot to keep warm.  They were so good!!!   Recently my daughter asked how to make my potatoes since she loved them so much and I confessed my secret for the past few holidays.  She was floored but excited because they make a single serving size too.  Trust me these are the best mashed potatoes you will find.  They are not at all like the instant potatoes.  You will be amazed how good and easy these are.

Potato Salad - Two Ways

I have always loved my mom's potato salad and when I met my husband and had his mom's version it was quite a shock because it was so different.  Eventually I came to love hers too, but at first it was a challenge.  I am posting both versions here so I will always have them.  My mom doesn't really follow a recipe so I am making estimates, but my mother in law had a recipe that we found after her death.  I now make hers mostly because she isn't here to serve it and I know it means a lot to my husband, but for the record I love them BOTH! 

My Mom's Potato Salad
2.5 -3 lbs potatoes
2 eggs

1/2 stalk celery, chopped (or celery salt for flavor)
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish (we use Mt. Olive in this area)
2 T. Mustard
1/2 -3/4 c. mayo
1/2 yellow onion chopped (I prefer red onion)
salt and pepper to taste.
paprika for dusting


Boil peeled and chopped potatoes.  Place uncooked eggs (still in shell) in water with potatoes so they can boil at the same times as potatoes.  When cooked drain potatoes and set aside egg to chop and add in.  Mix potatoes with all above ingredients including chopped egg.  Adjust mayo to desired consistency.  May increased pickles as desired. I even chop green peppers and add to this because I really like the flavor.  When mixed place in bowl and sprinkle with paprika and refrigerate.  I like it warm or cold, but most prefer if after cooled for several hours.

Mother In Law Potato Salad
2 lb potatoes
celery seed
1/2 c. finely diced red onion
1/2 c. diced sweet gherkin pickles (Mt. Olive brand preferred)
1/2 c. diced green pepper
1 cup JFG mayo (I use Kraft)
1 T. Cider vinegar
1 T. yellow mustard
1 t. salt
1/4 c. pickle juice from jar
Paprika for dusting

Boil potatoes until done about 20 minutes. Drain. Chop and mix above ingredients together while potatoes are cooking. Mix in cooked potatoes. Mash with potato mashers reducing lumps of potatoes.  Sprinkle with paprika. Refrigerate overnight.

There are two main differences.  My mom's version keeps potatoes to a chopped form and is more of a salted potato side dish.  My mother-in-law's version is much sweeter version and the potatoes are not kept in their form so the texture is a smoother potato.   I had the same difference of baked beans when I married into this family.  I will post both versions of those on another day.

Fried Potatoes and Cowboy Beans

When I was growing up we my mom and I were on a pretty tight budget and this meal was one she made frequently.  It is not low-fat or good for you, but it is true comfort food.

Fried Potatoes aka Taters
2.5-3 pounds of potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4-1/2 c. flour
vegetable or canola oil
salt and pepper

Place potatoes in a frying pan in oil. Sprinkle with flour generously and then cover with lid.  (This step is very important as the flour steams and cooks down on potatoes forming almost a crust on them.)  Turn potatoes with spatula.  Depending on the appearance you may need to add a little more flour for this first turn and allow it to settle on potatoes again.  After this turn as needed to desired browning has occurred and potatoes are done.  Salt and pepper to taste.  (My mom added onions if I wasn't home, but I like them plain with ketchup.)

Sometimes my mom served these with another dish that is not low-fat or healthy but it brings back childhood memories.

Cowboy Beans (Similar to baked beans but with firmer texture like a meatloaf.)
1 pound ground beef
1 can pork-n-beans, drained
Brown sugar (roughly 1/2-3/4 cup)

Mix together well and place in 8X8 pan and bake one hour.  Treat as you would a meatloaf and drain fat and allow to set for a few minutes before serving.

These are just the kind of recipes my daughter may want one day and now she can find them.

This is just good county, southern food. Simple. Cheap. Filling.