the starseed journey

My Pappou (which means grandfather in Greek) was an incredible chef. As a teenager, he traveled to America all by himself knowing no more than 3 words of English: “me”, “work”, and “free”. The first man that hired him at a restaurant loved him like a son and would call him “Greek” as a name, literally! “You know Greek, you’re not so bad.” It wasn’t long before his unstoppable work ethic would lead him to opening numerous restaurants — all of which were very successful![

As a cook, he never used any recipes, but had an intuition that told him exactly what a dish needed. I would eat anything he made… even when I was a kid and he sauteed chicken liver (this is pre-vegan era, of course), I ate it. He was a magician in the kitchen (Ooo! I need to print that on an apron!).

Several years ago, my Pappou passed away from cancer. I’m saddened that I was never able to cook with him after I truly became interested in learning how to cook. Luckily, my Mom tried to capture some of his recipes before he passed away.

This potato salad was one of his recipes that served as a simple, go-to dish. I absolutely love it, and if you love potatoes and vinegar, you will too! I don’t know if it’s actually of Greek origin per se, but my Pappou was born in Greece and made this recipe, so I’d call it pretty darn Greek.

This dish is great for a summer potluck, as it’s chilled and makes a whole lot! I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what kind of spices you try adding in… JJ mentioned Dill would taste great, so I’m trying that next.

Papou’s Greek Potato Salad

Persons

6

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

15 minutes

Total Time

30 minutes

Ingredients

• 6 large russet potatoes
• 2/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp oregano
• 3 tsp salt, separated
• 2 tsp pepper

Instructions

1. Scrub the potatoes clean.
2. Place them into a large pot. Fill the pot with cold water until the potatoes are covered.
3. Add 1/2 tsp of salt, and bring to a boil.
4. Once water is boiling, reduce to a simmer for 10 min.
5. When potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water, otherwise they will keep cooking.
6. On a cutting board, use the slotted spoon to peel off the skins. They should be easy to peel off after boiling.
7. Place the potatoes in a large mixing bowl
8. Using a wooden spatula, mash the potatoes into large chunks. The chunks will get smaller as you mix the potatoes.
9. Add vinegar, oil, oregano, 2 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper and mix until combined.
10. Place in the fridge overnight for best flavor. This one just keeps getting better with time.
11. Enjoy!

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