BBQ Burn Out Monday # 3 - Chef Michele

Welcome to BBQ Burn Out Monday #3. As promised, I am scouring the blogosphere in search of the most interesting and likeable bloggers to guest post on BBQ Burn Out Monday. I'd like all of you to extend a warm welcome to the newest member of the WhiteTrash family, Chef Michele. When you get a chance, be sure to check out her blog which features some of the best recipes to be found on the net. Take it away Michele....

I'm honored to be Robert's guest today, as I was honored to host him as my guest last week! I'm Michele from Chef Michele's Adventures.

Although I do love BBQ, I am not very well versed in preparing it. Eating it, I can do that... (as often as I am able). So when BBQ season comes around here I always offer to provide the accompanying side dishes.

In my humble opinion, there are many things that compliment BBQ very well. Of course there are the usual favorites like cole slaw, baked beans and corn on the cob. But my all time favorite of all has to be potato salad.

When I was growing up, my Dad was the BBQ master. We kids often assisted... My mom brought out the meat, ready to be cooked... But Dad always had on the mitt and held those big BBQ tongs. And my grandmother, she was often in the kitchen preparing her AWESOME potato salad. My grandmother's recipe wasn't exactly a recipe, per say. It was more of a concept. She knew what went in it and how it should look and taste. So, as her small assistant, I learned to prepare it just as she did and still make it the same way. This is basically how it goes...

Grandma Ida's Potato Salad

8 large potatoes
2 boiled eggs, mashed well
2 stalks celery, finely minced
2 large dill pickles, minced
1 large bell pepper, minced
paprika
Best Foods (Hellman's) mayonnaise
French's Mustard
salt
pepper

Put the potatoes, eggs celery, dill pickle and bell pepper into a large bowl. Mix well. Add mayonnaise, one large spoonful at a time and mix in. When you reach a nice creamy (but not too creamy) consistency, add a large squirt of mustard and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well (gently). Sprinkle the top with paprika. Eat and enjoy!