I’ve found that many of the best foods we eat are simple. They often just use a few ingredients that go well together. All these dishes are made with a common, but important ingredient…Love. You're going to enjoy my Nonna’s Italian potato salad!
There are over 300 recipes in my recently published cookbook, Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us (Click on the link in Note 1 to get your own copy). Even in these inflationary times, we can prepare delicious meals for our family and do so in a way that does not break the budget. And it’s all in the cookbook!
Introduction
There is an interesting story that goes with this recipe. Like many of my recipes, I tried to capture the times and places that made the dishes special to my family and me. I think when you make my Nonna’s Italian potato salad, you will have something special for your family too!
Nonna Giustozzi’s Italian Potato Salad
My dad was from Old Forge, PA. He left there to go to aircraft maintenance school in New York City in 1949 and then was hired by Capital Airlines in Washington DC in 1951. That’s how I came to grow up in Alexandria, VA, Capital merged with United Airlines in 1962.
My dad used to say that Old Forge was divided into three parts: One part for the Italian immigrants, another part for the Irish immigrants, and the third for the Polish immigrants. Interestingly, according to the 2010 census, these are still the top 3 ethnicities according to population percentages. My grandfather came from Italy in 1924 to work in the coal mines, like a lot of immigrants. In 1928, he traveled back to Italy and my grandmother came over and went to work in a garment factory. I found them listed on a ship’s manifest at Ellis Island in New York when we went there to visit one time. My grandfather died when I was about 2 from black lung and all I knew was my grandmother, or, as they say in Italian, Nonna.
Here is the point. The people of Old Forge were the type that made America great. They did not want handouts; they just wanted to work, earn a living, and raise their family. They scraped by on working folks’ wages, they bought a house, educated their kids, and loved the country they called home. They ate simple food with origins in the country they came from. All they wanted was an opportunity, and America gave it to them. And when it was time, they sent their sons off to fight in WWII. My uncle, August was killed in France serving in the US Army. Greater love hath no man… (John 15:13)
I think this Italian potato salad represents the simple, enjoyable things I remember from my grandmother’s home. Inexpensive, working-class foods such as pasta, sauce, meats, vegetables from the garden, pork or beef from the family beast, homemade wine, everything prepared with love. My grandmother never learned to speak English, so we mostly smiled at each other. I know it made her happy when we came to visit, she always cried when we left. I’m happy that I was able to get my mom to get the recipe and write it down for me. My mom did not speak Italian, but she did understand, so I guess my Nonna (her first name was Ottavia) told her what it was, or perhaps my dad translated it. I wish I had the presence of mind back then to get all her recipes. Come to think of it, she probably did not even have recipes, it was probably all from memory!
It's been over 50 years since I had these potatoes, but it seems like yesterday I was sitting in Nonna’s kitchen eating them. I can still smell the garlic and vinegar like I was just there. I’ve made them again and they are just as good as I remember! I hope you enjoy this simple dish as much as I do.
Ingredients
5-6 medium red skin potatoes, 2 ½ lbs. (Note 1)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil (Note 2)
3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar (Note 3)
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Boil potatoes in their jackets (skin) until just barely tender, about 15 minutes in a stockpot where the water just covers the potatoes. Cool in cold water. Peel and cube into ½” cubes.
In a large glass bowl, toss with salt, pepper, garlic, parsley, oil, and vinegar. Adjust quantity to your tastes. There should be a slight sheen on the potatoes, indicating the correct quality of oil and vinegar. Too little and the potato salad will be dry, too much and it will pool in the bottom of the mixing bowl.
Transfer potatoes to a covered, 3-quart glass dish. Serve at room temperature
Notes
Use only redskin potatoes; russets fall apart, and you want these to remain firm.
From what I remember, Nonna never used extra virgin olive oil, only Filippo Berio, which they bought in a large metal tin. You can still buy it today. I’m not sure what grade it is, perhaps pure. I’ve changed the recipe to use extra-virgin olive oil because I think the flavor complements this dish well.
Use only high-quality (read: expensive) balsamic vinegar. The cheap stuff tastes just that, cheap.
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Nonna’s Italian Potato Salad
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Good eats, that’s what!
Call to Action
Show someone how much you love them by preparing a delicious meal for them. Later, enjoy the time and money you save by relishing your leftovers, either for lunch at work or dinner at home. Take comfort in knowing you are eating hearty food you prepared. All because you made a good decision to follow the recipes and tips in the cookbook I developed just for you.
Besides getting a copy of the cookbook for yourself, it makes an excellent gift for those you love and care for, especially for those with a young family who are looking to save time and money in the kitchen. And learn a few things in the process! What a great idea!
Recommended Resources
Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us by David Giustozzi (Note 1).
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Notes
Please note that as an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn a small commission on the sale of any of these recommended resources.
Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us by David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/437OhVQ
Achieve Your Dreams: A Complete Guide to Live Your Best Life by David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/3IxEFgy