Mexican Potato & Chicken Salad

I know you are going to make me your new best friend with this recipe. You can make it ahead of time and just keep it in the refrigerator until you want to eat it. Pete and I have this at least once a week for dinner, which is between 2 and 3:00, the Mexican way. A snack of the leftovers in the evening after veranda time. Yummy.....

You will see that this salad is pretty healthy too. No added salt or mayonnaise.

Ingredients:

4 large potatoes, (not russet), peeled and cut into large bite-size chunks

1 large chicken breast, cut into large bite-size cubes

2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

2 large stalks celery, sliced into small bite-size pieces

1 large cucumber, seeds removed and diced

1 red or yellow bell pepper, seeds removed and diced

2 Tablespoons capers

¼ – ½ cup sour cream

2 teaspoons wine vinegar

1-2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons Worcestershire

¼ or more teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 avocado, peeled, seed removed and sliced (garnish)

I find that steaming the potatoes cooks them perfectly and allows some of the starch to stay on the potatoes. They don't absorb so much of the sauce and don't fall apart either. So, steam your potatoes for about 20 minutes. Put them in a large bowl and allow them to start cooling.

Sauté the chicken cubes in another pan until they are cooked through. This should not take very long, perhaps 7-8 minutes. Place the cooked chicken in the bowl with the potatoes. At this point, if you want your salad cold, then let the chicken and potatoes cool completely. I like it warm, so I start mixing it up right away. Either way, it is delicious.

Add all the vegetables to the chicken/potato mixture. In a small bowl, mix the sour cream, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire and cayenne pepper. Give it a small taste and see if it has enough tang to overshadow the bland flavor of the potatoes. Pour that over the vegetables and gently stir to completely combine. Give it another taste – I like this part. Does the sauce need adjusting? Now is the time to do it. Add a little of the ingredient you think it needs and taste again. See what I mean, I like this part! Lots of tasting....

Serve with the avocado slices on top.

This is one of those recipes that you can embellish to your hearts content. Want carrots in the salad, no problem. Use your imagination, then tell us on this blog what you did and how you liked it.  Yes really, we all like feedback!  

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Papa Loca (CRAZY Potato)

We went to the movies yesterday with friends and afterward we walked to a sidewalk restaurant serving different types of carne asada – grilled meat.  You could have grilled beef or chicken.  I had a Papa Loca which means crazy potato.  That means nothing to you, right?  It is a large baked potato flattened out on a plate, then topped with chopped grilled meat, butter, cheese and a wee bit of sour cream, then served with condiments such as pureed avocado, fresh salsa, roasted tomato salsa and tomatillo salsa.  I loved it and got the recipe to share with you. 

This makes a wonderfully easy meal if you are eating alone or feeding a crowd. 

Scrub the potatoes, poke about a dozen times with the tines of a fork and wrap them in aluminum foil.  Bake – yes, in the oven is still the best way – one large potato per person until fork tender, about 1 to 1½ hours at 350°.  Remove from the oven, open the foil making a foil plate. Slice the potato in half and smoosh it to make it relatively flat.  Dot with a little butter.

You can do this next part with any type of steak or chicken you have.  You can use marinated meat, meat with steak seasoning rub, or just salt and pepper.  Either on your outside grill or indoor grill-pan, cook the steak (or chicken) to your desired doneness, then chop into small pieces.  Sprinkle on top of the buttered potato, so it is totally covered in a layer of meat about ½ inch thick.  

Now, sprinkle the top of the meat with some shredded Chihuahua cheese.  If it does not melt immediately, place into the hot oven for 3-4 minutes.  Remove after the cheese has melted and drizzle a little sour cream on top and serve.

Always serve with bowls of a few different salsas.

As a side note:  I have also made these potatoes with shredded pork, only slightly salted that I have cooked in my pressure cooker.  Chopped pork roast or chops work great too.  

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