Sweet Potato Salad

Family picnic season!

I always think of Memorial Day weekend as the start of summer picnics! When I was growing up our family always spent a day of this weekend with my Grandmother Taylor’s family in Burt, Iowa. We would visit the cemetery where my grandparents were laid to rest and then attend a potluck picnic with grandmother’s sisters and brothers and their families. Good memories! Those same second cousins and I usually meet for a lunch in the summer at a halfway destination. It’s always good to catch up with them. Nowadays we go out for lunch and skip the potluck picnic!

With potluck picnics in mind, I’m going to share a different slant on potato salad: a sweet potato salad. I love sweet potatoes and they are actually better for us than regular white potatoes. Instead of boiling the potatoes, I bake them just until tender. They bake faster than white potatoes so test them after about 30–40 minutes, depending on their size. I pick out the smaller ones so they bake a little faster. I am going to give you the recipe the way it was written so you can cook them the way you want.
 
Sweet Potato Salad:
2 pounds sweet potatoes
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
pepper, if desired
4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1 1/2 cups celery
8 green onions, sliced
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Place sweet potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Cover and boil gently until the potatoes can easily be pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, about 30-40 minutes. Drain. When potatoes have cooled enough to handle, peel and dice. In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, mustard and salt; stir in eggs, celery and onions. Add potatoes, stir gently to mix. Cover and refrigerate 2-4 hours or longer, yield 8-10 servings. My mother-in-law always told me to mix potatoes with the dressing when they are little warm because the potatoes absorb the dressing better that way. I think she was right!  I found this recipe in a Taste of Home magazine, Have a great week!