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When
“Lady Marmalade” cooks, she cooks! This “soulful diva
extraordinaire” heats up the kitchen, stage, and the world with her
warmth, enthusiasm, and unbridled optimism. In addition to her newest CD, When
a Woman Loves, and the thirty-plus albums she’s recorded in various
incarnations (in the ‘60s as leader of Patti LaBelle & the
Bluebelles; in the ‘70s with Labelle; and since 1977, as a soloist),
Patti has established herself as a best-selling author, inspirational
spokesperson, and artist-development manager.
Her
books LaBelle Cuisine, Patti
LaBelle’s Lite Cuisine, Don’t Block the Blessings and Patti’s Pearls highlight her passion for cooking and living wisely
and well. Pattonium Management, based out of her hometown of Philadelphia,
is Patti’s way of reciprocating her life’s gifts: “I still have so
much more to do, so many other things to try. I have a lot of blessings, a
lot to be thankful for . . . but I’m always excited about what else
there is for me to do. My desire is to help young and talented artists
achieve the kind of success that I’ve been fortunate enough to
experience throughout my career." And to this she adds, “Now get
your apron, Sugar, and let’s do some cooking, Patti-style.”
Patti LaBelle’s Potato Salad
20
large Yukon Gold or “all-purpose” red potatoes,
boiled and diced
One
dozen large eggs, hard-boiled
2
medium Vidalia or Bermuda onions, finely chopped
1 large
green bell pepper, diced into small pieces
3
stalks celery, diced into small pieces
1/2 cup
sweet relish
1 cup
Hellmann’s mayonnaise (approximately)
4 to 6
tablespoons French’s yellow
mustard
1
tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 habañero
pepper, finely chopped (optional)
Celery
seed, to taste
Lawry’s
Seasoned Salt, to taste
Paprika,
as garnish
Hard-boil
the eggs (see Rehearsal Notes following). Boil potatoes (with or
without skin) in a large pot of water until you can stick a fork into them
and it goes in easily, approximately 20 to 25 minutes. When the potatoes
are done, remove from water, remove the skins, and dice into bite-sized
chunks.
Slice
the eggs into large chunks (they will crumble when you are mixing the
salad). Reserve a few slices to use as a garnish.
Place
the potatoes and eggs in an extra-large bowl and gently fold in onions,
green pepper, celery, and relish. Add the mayonnaise and mustard, mixing
gently (the salad should be “wet” but not “runny”). Finally, add
the cayenne pepper and habañero pepper, if using, and season with celery
seed and Lawry’s salt according to taste. Stir all of the ingredients
together.
Garnish
with large slices of hard-boiled egg and paprika. Refrigerate until ready
to serve. Enjoy! Makes 15 to 20 servings.
Rehearsal Notes
In her
cookbook, LaBelle Cuisine Patti
demystifies the secret for perfect hard-boiled eggs:
“I
know that most people actually boil their eggs to hard-cook them, but if
you overdo it, you get that thin green line around the yolk that everyone
just hates. Here’s the foolproof professional way to hard-cook eggs that
cuts down on the actual boiling time to avoid overcooking.
Place
the eggs in a saucepan just large enough to hold them in one layer. Fill
with enough cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a gentle boil over
high heat. Cook for 30 seconds. Remove from the stove and cover tightly.
Let stand for 15 minutes. Pour out most of the water and place the pan in
the sink. Let cold water run over the eggs for about 3 minutes. Crack and
peel the eggs while still warm.”
And,
as all mayonnaise connoisseurs know, Hellmann’sä is “known as Best Foods west of the Mississippi.”