Mrs. Rockey's Secret Potato Salad

The late, great culinary genius James Beard once labeled this particular recipe as his favorite potato salad. It was a "secret" family recipe of a lady whom he had encountered along his endless gastronomical sojourns -- and, after much prodding by Beard, one of the family members finally elected to let the rest of the world enjoy it too. This potato salad falls into an old fashioned (but good!) category by utilizing a type of "boiled dressing". Often, such dishes were served hot (like German potato salad) but I like this one because it is served cold, which is my personal preference. I decided to save the recipe here so that I wouldn't lose it.

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 5

Ingredients

• 6  potatoes, equally sized (about 2.5 # total)
• 1⁄3 cup cider vinegar
• 4  eggs, beaten
• 1  tablespoon butter
• 1  cup heavy cream
• 4  tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 2  tablespoons onions, finely chopped
• 1  teaspoon dry mustard (powder)
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1⁄8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Boil the potatoes unpeeled. When they are just fork tender (not too soft!), peel and slice them (or, leave them unpeeled if you wish) while they are still fairly hot. Place them in a large mixing bowl and set aside, covered (so they'll stay warm while you make the dressing, etc.).
2. In a small pan, bring the vinegar to the boiling point.
3. In a mixing bowl, SLOWLY whisk the vinegar into the beaten eggs. Don't pour the hot vinegar in too fast or the eggs will scramble a bit.
4. In a double boiler, over medium heat, pour in the egg-vinegar mix and whisk until the blend thickens some, then whisk in the butter and allow to cook for one minute.
5. Next, stir in the cream (pre-warmed to about 100 degrees F.), TWO tablespoons of the parsley, the onion, and the seasonings.
6. When the mix is well-blended, pour it over the sliced potatoes and carefully mix the dressing with the potatoes -- I use a big spatula for this.
7. Allow to cool a bit and sprinkle remaining parsley over the top. Refrigerate and serve cold.