Whether to fire up the grill is probably a question asked by more than a few proud parents during graduation-party season. With commencements happening frequently this time of year, the thought of spending an afternoon hovering over smoky charcoals or a gas-fueled burner might seem less than enticing – especially if you’re hosting a crowd of 25 or more.
Why not give yourself a break, give the grill a rest, and make it a grill-free graduation party? Memorial Day and the Fourth of July are just around the corner, anyway.
Instead, spend some preparation time on the quintessential centerpiece of outdoor dining – cold salads. Their ingredients are simple, but there’s nothing quite as satisfying as homemade potato or macaroni salads piled into large serving bowls and set on a picnic table in the yard, just waiting to be dug into.
Lucy Butler has cooked for and hosted graduation parties for all four of her children and is bracing herself for the wave of grandchildren who’ll be cap-
and-gown-clad in a few years.
For the first two graduations, Butler grilled hot dogs and hamburgers for upward of 50 people. She learned her lesson.
“For my younger two kids we decided to do cold salads, meat platters and hors d’oeuvres like deviled eggs,” she said. “It was so much easier and, besides, everyone loves my cold salads.”
Butler said her homemade salads were such a hit at the graduation parties that she has since become famous among family and friends for her potato and macaroni salad recipes.
Her secret is simplicity.
“I don’t like the salads you can buy in stores, because they tend to be dry,” she said. “And they put in everything but the kitchen sink. My potato salad is just chopped potatoes and hard- boiled eggs, Miracle Whip salad dressing, a bit of chopped onion and salt and pepper.”
And her macaroni salad includes more than just mayonnaise. She augments it with canned tuna fish and baby peas – a trick her mother taught her more than 50 years ago.
“Whenever we give outdoor parties, her salads are the main attraction; they go faster than the other food,” said Butler’s husband, Richard. “I think it’s the salad dressing. It gives a sweeter flavor than plain mayonnaise.”
If mayonnaise isn’t one of your favorite condiments, or if you want to try something different, a number of salads are hearty, flavorful and colorful.
Chopped salads offer a melange of flavors and textures. Lettuces and other light greens topped with spritely orange slices, crisp cucumbers and red onion slices give a bright complement to heavier salads.
Butler said another secret to the success of her cold salads is to make them a day ahead.
“First, because it’s too much to be cooking the day of an event,” she said. “And I think the salad tastes better when it chills overnight.”
Although cold summer salads are the embodiment of tasty simplicity at an outdoor party, registered dietitian Sandra Varno of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Albany County said food safety must be heeded.
Varno advises buying cold cuts, dips and deli salads the day of or day before a party.
“They should only be kept in the refrigerator for three to five days under ideal conditions, and parties are not ideal conditions,” she said. “The fridge is usually overloaded and opened more often, so it isn’t as cold. You can’t always be sure how fresh that salad or roast beef was when you bought it either.”
Varno added that it’s important to keep salads, dips and cold cuts out of direct sunlight.
“Just inside the house works well, or at least in the shade,” she said. “It’s best to put small amounts out at once. Mayonnaise is rarely the culprit in food-borne illness, because of its acidity; protein foods (such as chicken) are more often to blame, often from cross-contamination.”
A common mistake is refilling the same bowl with fresh dip or salad so that the fresh food becomes contaminated.
Instead, Varno recommends instead using a clean bowl every time fresh food is put out.
“These foods should not be out for more than two hours unless kept chilled,” she said. “The rule is foods should not be between 40 and 140 degrees for more than four hours total, and that is cumulative. Some of that time is when it is back in the fridge getting back down to 40 degrees, and of course if you put it out again, that all counts too.”
Varno said keeping perishable food on ice is a good way to maintain safe temperatures of salads and meats.
As with any large gathering, there’s always considerable planning involved, but for some, loading up on mounds of ice versus sweltering over a grill is no contest.
In July, Lucy and Richard Butler will be throwing an outdoor party to celebrate their anniversary with about 100 guests.
“We’re not going to grill,” said Lucy. “It’ll be cold meat platters and cold salads. Everyone’s happier that way.”
Lucy’s Potato Salad
Makes 25 servings
Ingredients
5 pounds white potatoes
2 dozen eggs
1 jar Miracle Whip
2 medium onions, diced
Salt and pepper
Directions
Peel potatoes, cut into quarters, and boil until they’re tender to touch with a fork. Drain and let cool at room temperature. Bring eggs to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let sit 20 minutes. Drain the hot water and bathe eggs in cold water, peel immediately. Let eggs cool and then chop.
Cut cooled potatoes into bite-sized chunks. Place potatoes in large mixing bowl, add onions. Add half the eggs and fold into potato mixture. Add remaining eggs. Add enough Miracle Whip until salad is creamy, add salt and pepper to taste. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight. More Miracle Whip may be needed the next day if too much is absorbed by the potatoes.
Lucy’s Macaroni Salad
Makes 25 servings
Ingredients
1 pound elbow macaroni
2 medium onions, diced
5 (6-ounce) cans chunk light tuna, drained well
1 jar Miracle Whip
Salt and pepper
2 (16-ounce) cans baby peas, drained
Directions
Cook macaroni in boiling water just until al dente. Drain and place in large mixing bowl. Add onions, tuna, Miracle Whip and salt and pepper to taste; mix well. Gently fold peas into salad. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight. More Miracle Whip may be needed the next day if too much is absorbed by the macaroni.
Chopped Greek Salad
From “The Big Book of Easy Suppers,” by Maryana Volstedt. Makes 8 servings.
Ingredients
1 red or green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 cup chopped red onion
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
6 cups shredded red lettuce leaves
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Directions
Toss bell pepper, cucumber, red onion, garlic, tomatoes, olives, oregano, salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil in a large bowl.
Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Divide lettuce among individual plates, spoon vegetable mixture on top and sprinkle with feta cheese.
Orange, Cucumber and Red Onion Salad
From “The Big Book of Easy Suppers,” by Maryana Volstedt. Makes 4 servings.
Ingredients
Red-leaf lettuce
3 oranges, peeled, white pith removed and sliced
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions
Arrange orange, cucumber and onion slices on a lettuce-lined platter. In a small bowl, whisk lime juice, vinegar, oil, honey, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper. Drizzle over platter.
Chicken Salad with Thai Flavors
From “The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook.” Makes 4 servings.
Ingredients
1 cup chicken stock
2 stalks lemongrass, bottom 6 inches only, thinly sliced
1/2-inch piece gingerroot, thinly sliced
1 green onion, sliced in half lengthwise
3 cilantro sprigs
1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 small head green cabbage
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into thin strips
1 tablespoon unsalted dry peanuts, crushed
Directions
In a large saucepan, combine the stock, lemongrass, gingerroot, green onion cut lengthwise and cilantro sprigs. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes.
Add chicken breasts, raise heat to high and bring back to a boil. Again, reduce heat to low and simmer the chicken for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cover. Uncover after 5 minutes and allow chicken to cool in the stock. Remove chicken from the stock when cool enough to handle. Reserve the stock.
Using your fingers, shred the chicken with the grain into strips 1/2-inch thick. Cover and refrigerate.
Strain the cooled stock and discard the solids. Return 1 1/2 cups of the stock to the saucepan and discard the remaining liquid.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, uncovered, until reduced to 1/2 cup, 5-6 minutes. Cool slightly.
In a blender, combine stock, lime juice, vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce, shallot, peanut butter and garlic. Blend until smooth.
With the blender running, slowly add the oil. The dressing will be thin. Set aside.
Cut the core from the cabbage and slice into thin strands. In a large bowl, toss the cabbage, shredded chicken, carrots, cilantro and sliced green onions. Pour half of the dressing over the salad.
Top salad with peanuts and serve remaining dressing alongside.
