Right now, the Roadhouse has some terrific East Texas hot links on the menu—the traditional spicy, smoked, cooked sausage from that part of the country. They’re well worth ordering. And while mashed potato salad isn’t on the menu there at the moment, it’s been making regular appearances at my house. It’s a classic side for hot links—super easy to make, and really good to eat. Great for picnics, a solid side for dinner, and it works for breakfast too—with a hot link and a couple of fried eggs alongside.
In Black Smoke, my good friend Adrian Miller—the amazing culinary historian and author— credits the making of mashed potato salad to the New Zion Missionary Baptist Church. It’s in Bryan, Texas, a small town near the Louisiana border, right next to College Station, home of Texas A&M. The church was started in 1941, just as World War II was beginning, in an era when Jim Crow laws were still the accepted and legal norm across much of the country.
The best way to make the salad is to begin with leftover mashed potatoes. For me, that means the terrific mashed potatoes from the Roadhouse, made with that remarkable Vermont Creamery Cultured Butter. You can certainly, though, make your own mashed potatoes, then allow them to cool before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
Add a good amount of finely chopped celery, some dill pickle (a splash of the juice is great too), a bit of roasted red pepper, and a handful of parsley to the mashed potatoes. Stir in some Dijon—or any spicy mustard you like. Add a generous amount of mayonnaise, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix it all together, check your seasoning, and you’re good to go. It holds up well in the fridge for a few days. Garnish, if you like, with hard-boiled eggs, pickles, or sticks of fresh local celery.
