Guest--S.J. Drum and Sinful Southern...Potato Salad???

Yes!

In celebration of the release of my book, Sinful Southern Ink, I've decided to share a recipe I learned from a dear friend while living in the sweltering heat of Louisiana.

Take everything you think you know about this summer classic, wad it up, and toss it on your BBQ to be consumed by the cleansing fire. Now, you’re ready to make my Sinful Southern Potato Salad.

It’s all about the details. First, and most importantly, the only acceptable mayo for Potato Salad is Blue Plate brand mayo. If you live in a northern state like I do, you either have to buy it online or have a very awesome southern buddy mail it to you. Yes, I actually receive jars of Blue Plate mayo in a box (usually packed along with some Community brand Coffee from Louisiana) and jump up and down like it’s freaking Christmas morning. It’s that good.

For this recipe, you will need:

1.       Blue Plate Mayo

2.       Yellow Mustard

3.       Dill Pickles

4.       Dill seasoning, fresh or dried

5.       Eggs

6.       Red Potatoes

7.       Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning (Tony C’s is available at any supermarket, and is a MUST for this recipe.)

This is where it gets tricky. The instructions for making this recipe are more like Southern driving directions than measured, scientific steps. “A left after the old school house, a right at the big Cypress tree, if you reach New Orleans…you’ve gone too far.”

Step 1: Wash potatoes, chop into cubes, rinse.

Step 2: Boil eggs (however many you want, I like a lot in my potato salad) and boil potatoes until done.

Step 3: Drain potatoes and cool eggs until they can be safely handled, then peel, rinse, and chop the eggs.

Step 4: Add a couple big, heaping spoonfuls of Blue Plate Mayo and a giant squirt of Yellow Mustard to the potato and egg mixture. (See? Clear as mud, right?) Mix it around until it has the color and consistency you want, then taste to make sure you don’t need to add more mustard.

Step 5: Mince some Dill Pickles. Yup, pickles. I use whatever I have in the fridge, whole, sliced, doesn’t matter. How much? Eh… About a quarter cup, less if you’re making a small batch of potato salad. Add this to your potatoes and eggs.

Step 6: Sprinkle fresh or dried dill into the salad mixture. A couple pinches should do it.

Step 7: Shake what looks like an obscene about of Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning onto the salad mixture. (Okay, if you’re new to Tony C’s, maybe start with just a dash.) Mix it up. Taste.

*The weird thing about Sinful Southern Potato Salad? It’s a bit spicy and can be served warm or cold. Yeah, you heard me. Warm Potato Salad. Sounds yucky, right? Wrong! Try it warm, it’s dang good!*

Remember, Sinful Southern Potato Salad cannot be made without Blue Plate Brand Mayo and Tony Cachere’s Creole Seasoning. If you attempt to make it without these things, southern ladies around the country will burst into tears. No one wants that.

Check out Sinful Southern Ink, by me, S.J. Drum. A first-in-series about small-town, tattooed heroes and the women who love them…or absolutely hate them, and then eventually love them. Sexy, edgy, funny.

Jed Weston is a tall, hard country boy with dangerous cowboy charm and piercings in all the right places. As Abigail’s partner in her tattoo and piercing shop, he’s kept things between them on a strictly professional level. Until Abigail’s violent past catches up with her and she seeks his comfort—comfort that leads to an intense emotional and sexual connection neither can ignore. Jed’s jealous ex-girlfriend, a nosy reporter, and a potential father-in-law on death row won’t keep him from the woman who makes him hard at the very sight of her. Nothing will keep Jed Weston from catching—and keeping—the woman he loves.