Bob Corso Interviews Lois About French Potato Salad

Hi. It's Lois at Recipe Idea Shop. Hey! I'm a TV star (just kidding). Bob Corso from WHSV TV and I talked about the hazards of mayonnaise, what's the difference between shallots and scallions, and what are these things called capers?? Plus I shared my excellent French Potato Salad recipe. It's made with a vinaigrette instead of mayonnaise so it's safe to take to a picnic. Just in time for picnic season!

Why is this potato salad called French Potato Salad? The French love their vinaigrettes and capers. And they love to add wine to the vinaigrette. This recipe includes capers and a little wine (not too much, so don't worry. You won't get drunk on the potato salad.)

I'm a fan of French food. Since we don't have a French restaurant in Harrisonburg, I have to make my own. The good thing is then I can control what's in my food and use good, fresh, whole foods ingredients to keep myself and my family healthy. I'm healthy now, but I haven't always been so. You can read my health story here.

Can Mayonnaise Make You Sick?

Why, yes. Yes, it can, especially if you make your own mayonnaise, which uses raw eggs. Keep that refrigerated until you serve and return it to the refrigerator or cooler immediately upon serving. But you are safe with commercially made mayonnaise for at least a couple of hours.

Mayonnaise-based salads can be a hazard because mayonnaise can spoil easily in the hot sun. Surprisingly, commercially made mayonnaise is okay to leave out of the refrigerator at room temperature for up to 8 hours. Epicurious has a good article about room temperature mayonnaise.

However, according to the Food and Drug Administration, if the temperature is above 90F degrees, you can only safely leave it out for 1 hour. Read the article from Food Network about this.

WebMD also has a good article about food safety. Read 9 Food Poisoning Myths.

What's the Difference Between Shallots and Scallions?

Both the shallot and the scallion are types of onions. Shallots look a bit more like miniatures of the yellow or red onion, with a skin on the outside. Scallions, however, do not have the tough skin on the outside. Some people call them green onions or spring onions. A shallot is generally more flavorful than a scallion, but the green onion is prettier.

Peel the shallot and mince it with a garlic press if you are making a vinaigrette. It's super easy.

Fresh shallots. Photo courtesy of pixabay.com

Fresh scallions (green onions). Photo courtesy of pixabay.com

The green onion or scallion only requires cutting off the root and slicing the white and lighter green parts. You can include scallions in a vinaigrette, but I usually slice them directly into a salad. FYI, the whole green part of the green onion is edible. However, as you get toward the end of the green part, the onion gets a bit tougher.

What are Capers?

I always thought capers were a kind of lentil. But I recently found out I was wrong. The capers are unripened flowers of the caper bush. Caper bushes are found all over the Mediterranean Region.

Wikipedia says:

Capparis spinosa, the caper bush, also called Flinders rose, is a perennial plant that bears rounded, fleshy leaves and large white to pinkish-white flowers. The plant is best known for the edible flower buds, often used as a seasoning, and the fruit, both of which are usually consumed pickled.

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