Jul 14, 2010
Checking in from Vacation: Sharing a Family Recipe
I know this web site is usually dedicated to God and Christianity and stuff, but hey, I’m on vacation and I wanted to share a small bit of it with you. And besides, you like good food right? Well, OK there then. Keep reading…
Sometime in the early 1900’s some of my ancestors arrived in the Philadelphia area from Poland. My grandfather, who happens to be another “Ed Cyzewski,” married my grandmother who had emigrated recently from Puerto Rico.
She brought with her beans and rice recipes that my wife absolutely loves, but she also learned some of the recipes from my grandfather’s family. While I have long adored the pierogies she makes for Christmas lunch, I have yet to find an equal for the potato salad recipe she learned from my Polish ancestors.
We call it “Polish Potato Salad,” but I don’t know if there’s anything uniquely Polish about it. It’s just a way of honoring my Polish roots.
This evening I’ll be grilling chicken, boiling corn, and making a salad while on vacation with Julie’s folks. However, the star of the meal, for me at least, will be the potato salad. I made it this morning, and the crunch of celery, sweetness of onions, and creamy mayo still lingers in my mouth.
Potato salad is an essential part of summer meals for me, though my family has it throughout the year for various events. I’d like to share this recipe with you. I hope you enjoy it. If it’s not your thing, don’t tell me. I don’t think my world could handle that… 
Here it is, straight from a conversation with my grandmother several years ago:
Cyzewski Family Potato Salad
3 lbs small red potatoes (cut up if big)
put in a large pot of water to boil for 15 minutes (on medium with a lid)
Shut off the heat and let them sit for 10 minutes
drain and cool for a few hours
dice potatoes
cut up 4 stalks celery
cut up 1.5 lg onion
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 tsp parsley
2/3 to 3/4 c mayo
1.5 Tablespoon vinegar
1.5 Tablespoon sugar
mix together
