While I prefer the ever popular Hellman's when I'm buying mayo, I rarely do indulge. Most days you can find a jar of Miracle Whip in my fridge. Its not mayonnaise, but it is tasty in its own way and its much lower in fat and calories. But sometimes I just really want mayo, not Miracle Whip. So when I want to indulge, I go all out, even better then Hellman's: homemade mayonnaise.
Its the perfect dressing for the quintessential summer salad: potato. I got no greens this week, but I got plenty of potatoes, peppers and onions; the three most popular vegetable ingredients in a classic potato salad. So I had to use the most popular of dressings.
I also got garlic this week and always have fresh basil growing on my window sill, so I decided to herb up my mayo. I've been reading several articles about the health benefits of eating lots of herbs, so it seemed only logical, since they only makes things more delicious anyway.
Personally I think raw eggs are OK. I buy organic, free range eggs and I don't keep homemade mayo for more then 3-4 days. However I should hope it goes without saying, but in case it doesn't let me state clearly: use caution when consuming raw egg. Its not always safe - just because I eat them doesn't mean you should. Educate yourself and make an informed choice about whats OK for you and those you are serving.
Mayonnaise
3/4 cups olive oil
1 egg
2 tbsp vinegar (I used1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar, 1 tbsp tarragon vinegar)
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, crushed
fresh basil
Use a blender. Put 1/4 cup of the oil and the rest of the ingredients into the blender and blend on low about 30 seconds. Switch to high and slowly drizzle in the rest of the oil. Stop at least once to scrape down the sides. Use or refrigerate immediately.
Potato salad
9 small potatoes (I used purple ones about the size of golf balls), boiled, cooled and sliced
1/3 red onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 small zucchini, cut in small cubes
1 hard boiled egg, chopped
large dollop mayonnaise (about half of above recipe)
salt, pepper
paprika
Mix all the vegetables, egg, salt and pepper with the mayo. Put it in the fridge and let it sit at least an hour before eating. Garnish with paprika.
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the acid (vinegar) and the mustard are both very good at killing off harmful bacteria (better to whip the egg and vinegar for 10 second then add the first of the oil, (then drizzle in the rest)
ReplyDeleteyou can, amazingly enough, just use the garlic as an emulsifier, and make a garlic (aoili) sauce--but all of the oil needs to be drizzled in--very, very slowly!
mayo with garlic is also called an aoili sauce, or aoili mayo--and its a classic.