One potato, two potato for picnic side dish

There’s no better side dish for a picnic than potato salad. I love contrasting creamy, smooth potatoes with crunchy bell peppers, celery, fennel or peas. This offers a wonderful mix of textures in each bite.

The variety of vegetable colors together in one bowl is eye-catching, and most of all, I appreciate potato salad for its durability. Many vegetable dishes go limp on the way to a picnic site, but not potato salad. In fact, many potato salads improve in flavor if the dressing and vegetables get a chance to blend.

If you have a picnic on your summer schedule, I have two potato salads you can try for your menu.Red potatoes that have a firm, not crumbly, consistency are my favorite for salads.

The red skins are so attractive that I suggest you don’t peel the potatoes. Yukon Gold potatoes also are excellent in salads. Peel the Yukon Golds to expose the golden flesh. Add sandwiches or a couple of cold cooked chicken breasts, and you have a great summer picnic for two.

Picnic potato-pepper salad

1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced

2 medium cooked red potatoes, diced, unpeeled

cup chopped scallion

1 2-ounce can anchovies, drained and chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Pepper

Combine bell pepper, potatoes, scallion and anchovies in a bowl. Add olive oil, lemon juice and pepper to taste and stir well. Makes 2 servings.

Potato, fennel and scallion salad

1 medium red potato, cooked and diced, unpeeled

cup diced raw fennel

cup finely chopped scallion

teaspoon Dijon-style mustard

1 teaspoons white wine vinegar

1 teaspoons olive oil

teaspoon salt

teaspoon pepper

Combine potato, fennel and scallion in a bowl.

Stir together mustard, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper in a cup. Pour dressing over the potatoes and stir well.

Makes 2 servings.

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