Bev's Excellent Potato Salad: long lost and found

Potato salad is one of those versatile side dishes of which there are countless versions. It seems I've practically tried them all, but there's one that has reigned supreme for me for decades. The only problem was the recipe was as elusive as time itself.

Throughout my childhood I remember my mother making potato salad, particularly on warm summer days. To be honest, I wasn't a fan of my mother's potato salad (although, she was a great cook!). In fact, I thought I just didn't like potato salad—that is, until, as a young teenager, I sampled my sister in law, Bev's. I was instantly impressed with her recipe, and complimented her on it. She opined as to what made her potato salad special but years later all I could recall of our conversation was that her mixing method yielded both a creamy yet chunky result (my mother's was very chunky). Her delicious potato salad led me to rethink how I felt about the dish!

Our paths rarely crossed after Bev and my brother, Paul, divorced several years later (and back then, as a kid, I never thought to ask for the recipe) . Since then, over the years, I've made all manner of potato salads: hot and cold, red bliss and Yukon gold, dressed with mayo and/or plain yogurt, along with all kinds of mix-ins, etc., but, never was I able to replicate (or surpass) that gold standard: Bev's excellent potato salad. Then, during the pandemic, as I was churning out meals seven days a week, I wondered if it was possible Bev just might remember that recipe. So, on a lark, I reached out to Paul to see if he would ask Bev about the recipe. Lo and behold, within a few hours of my inquiry Paul had hit pay dirt! After jogging Bev's memory, together they were able to flesh out the recipe. He emailed me it to me, and the next night I served it with two strip steaks and a plate of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers. It was not only delicious but exactly as I remembered it from all those decades ago. Thanks to Bev and Paul, and their remarkable recall, what was lost is now found!

BEV'S EXCELLENT POTATO SALAD

3 pounds red potatoes, lightly peeled, and cut into 3/4-inch cubes 1 1/4 C. Miracle Whip (no substitutions!) 1/3 C. red onion, small chop (after chopping, soak in cold water for 10 minutes to reduce pungency) 2 celery stalks, small chop 2 carrots, peeled, small chop

1 T. yellow mustard 4 hard boiled eggs (add some chopped to mixture. Slice the rest for garnish) 1/8 t. celery seed

1-2 T. sweet pickle, plus some pickle juice (add to taste) salt/pepper (to taste) paprika (for garnish)

Boil potatoes in a pot of water with one tablespoon of salt for approximately 7 minutes, or until fork tender. Then, combine all ingredients in a bowl until the mixture is somewhere between chunked and slightly mashed. Adjust taste with pickle juice, salt and pepper. Cover and place in fridge for at least an hour prior to serving.