We are indebted to our Gransbest commenter Jean Rosenberg for this potato salad recipe. In the 1980’s Jean’s friend Maria Bowie worked for Wellspring Grocery in Durham, North Carolina and gave Jean the recipe.
In the early 1980’s, Wellspring Grocery was a wonderful kaleidoscope of fresh vegetables and fruits and delectable foodstuffs. Just walking into the store to look around was a pleasure. The packaged products were whole-grain and organic, the sort of foods obtainable only from food co-ops before Wellspring opened. Wellspring also sold prepared foods such as Potato Salad.
If this picture of Wellspring Grocery sounds unremarkable, you are not old enough to remember the organic food stores that predated Wellspring. However virtuous, these earnest stores seemed always dark and dingy, with dried beans and grains in barrels. The scent of sandalwood predominated. The concept that vegetarian food might taste good was hard to imagine in such a place.
At about the same time Wellspring opened in Durham, NC, another store opened in Austin, Texas, named Whole Foods Market. Ten years later Whole Foods would buy Wellspring Grocery. But from 1981 to 1991, Durham and later Chapel Hill would enjoy the pleasures of Wellspring Grocery.
Of course we at Gransbest have many potato salad recipes, but Jean’s recipe from Wellspring has become our Summer 2020 favorite. We are happy to add it to our collection.
2 1/2 pounds red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 cup red onions, chopped fine
1/3 cup carrot, finely chopped or grated
1/4 cup parsley, minced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dillweed or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Put potatoes in a saucepan. Cover with salted water. Cook about 12-15 minutes, until tender. Mix with onion, carrot, and parsley. Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, salt, pepper, and dill. Stir into potatoes.
Makes 1 1/2 quarts.
The recipe includes the notation “X 6 for 75 people”. So you can sextuple the recipe should you be called upon to provide Potato Salad for a large group.