Vegan Potato Salad

As a kid, I always thought those weird "salads" you find at picnics were DISGUSTING. Macaroni salad, pasta salad, and especially potato salad all seemed to have mayonnaise as their main ingredient. GROSS. My tummy roils in protest at the thought of all that not-quite-cold mayo with overcooked whatevers suspended in it. EWWWW. BLECH. ACK.

Flash forward to my adult years and me flipping through my trusty Barefoot Contessa At Home cookbook: I see an old-fashioned potato salad recipe that looks surprisingly tempting, but I still hate mayonnaise. What to do? Hello opportunity to make vegan potato salad! This recipe is the result of my efforts. It uses Vegenaise (a wonderfully delicious eggless mayo replacer that doesn't taste like pus) and white wine. Where can you go wrong?

First, get ready to boil about 3 pounds of potatoes. The red skins or yukon golds are my faves since peeling isn't needed, but use whatever you have on hand. Cut them into bite-size pieces, cover with water and crank up the heat. Meanwhile, combine in a BIG bowl:
1/2-1 cup vegenaise (depends how wet you want your salad...)
1/4 cup white wine, soy milk, or water
2 tbs mustard (grainy is good, but plain ol' yellow is fine too)
1/2 red onion, minced
1/2 cup chopped celery (optional)
1 tbs dried dill (I use a lot)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Stir up the ingredients until a smooth, not-too-thin dressing emerges. Feel free to add more vegenaise if it's too watery, or more wine/milk/water if it's too thick.

Now, check the potatoes. You don't want them to be over done or you'll get mashed potatoes (certainly not a bad thing, but we're trying to be fancy here!). I test mine a few times while they're boiling, and pull them the moment my fork can pierce one easily. Once the potatoes are ready, drain them in a colander and dump them directly into the bowl with the dressing. Using two spoons, gently toss the potatoes and liquid together. Then, put the entire bowl in the fridge to let it chill, or enjoy your potato salad warm (that's how I roll).

Yum yum yummers. And definitely NOT nasty like the crap you find at the grocery store. (What really gets me is the sound the spoon makes when you try to scoop some out...it's like wet, disgusting mud!)