h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I can't believe it! There's been an omission. Didn't any of us southern yanks (wait, isn't that an oxymoron?) send in a recipe for potato salad? You can't have a picnic without it! The flies won't show up without potato salad (you know it's a bad meal when flies won't even eat it). By golly if I had a recipe I'd write it in here, but I'm a guy who can't cook if it requires more than three ingredients.

Miss Mable's Famous Potato Salad

Ingredients
About 10 medium russet or baking potatoes, whole, skins on
4 stalks celery, diced
4 Kosher dill pickles, diced
3 shallots, diced
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
8 large eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon salad mustard
Salt and pepper

Method
Bake the potatoes for about one hour in a 350 degree oven. They should still be pretty firm. Allow to cool for about an hour, then peel and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Place in very large bowl, then add chopped eggs. Lightly salt and pepper.

In another bowl, combine mayonnaise, mustard, shallots, capers, pickles, lemon juice and celery until well blended. This dressing should be a little on the runny side.

Gently fold dressing over potato and egg mixture, carefully mixing without breaking up the potatoes too much. Sprinkle with parsley and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

Note: a debate rages throughout the South about whether you should put onion in potato salad or not. The shallots are a good compromise between onion/no onion, but their flavor tends to intensify after a day or two. Under no circumstances should this salad stand at room temperature for more than two hours!

Gotta have onions, I'm not even sure what a shallot is. BTW, that's twelve ingredients, I'd have to take a nap after making that recipe. Thanks.

Shallots are kinda prissy little onions, but they taste great in potato salad, I promise. A nap is perfect after you make it, cause it needs to chill at least two hours. And you'll definitely sleep well after you eat it.