CRAWFISH BOIL POTATO SALAD

              

Crawfish Boil Potato Salad

Think of Quarls’s recipe as a guide and improvise, the way they do in New Orleans. If you or your guests—and this recipe makes plenty, so you will want to have guests—

prefer brussels sprouts or turnips or a few handfuls of snap peas, go for

FOR THE BOIL

 1 gallon water

1 cup Zatarain's Pro Boil

2 tbsp. kosher salt

1⁄4 cup Crystal hot sauce

2 lemons, halved

1 orange, halved

2 lb. medium red potatoes, cut into quarters

1 intact head of garlic, unpeeled and halved

2 whole artichokes, trimmed and outer leaves removed

2 lb. corn on the cob, husks removed

1 lb. white or portobello mushrooms, cleaned and trimmed 1 lb. green beans, cut into thirds

5 lb. crawfish or 3 lb. of 16- to 20-count unpeeled shrimp

FOR THE DRESSING

11⁄2 cups Duke's mayonnaise 1⁄4 cup sour cream

2 tbsp. buttermilk

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. Zatarain's Creole Seasoning 1 tbsp. Creole mustard

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1⁄4 tsp. salt

1⁄4 tsp. black pepper

1⁄2 cup celery, diced

1⁄2 cup scallions, sliced thin

 PREPARATION

For the boil, place first 4 ingredients in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over high heat. Squeeze lemons and orange into the water, and toss in the halves, too. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Drop in potatoes and garlic, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, until tender. With a strainer or a slotted spoon, remove potatoes and garlic and set aside on a sheet pan to cool.

Return liquid to a boil and begin to add vegetables. Start with artichokes. After 15 minutes, add corn. After another 10 minutes, add mushrooms. After 5 more minutes, add green beans, and cook for 3 minutes. With a strainer or a slotted spoon, remove vegetables to a sheet pan to cool.

Return liquid to a boil, drop in crawfish, cook for about 4 minutes, then turn off heat and let the pot sit for 20 minutes. (If using shrimp, turn off the heat immediately and let the pot sit for 5 minutes.) Remove crawfish and discard liquid. When crawfish have cooled, peel, remove the tail meat, and chop. (Discard shells.) Chop potatoes into chunks. Cut the corn kernels from the cob. Remove the leaves from the artichokes and chop the hearts into a medium dice, along with the mushrooms and green beans.

For the dressing, place all ingredients except celery and scallions in a large mixing bowl. Squeeze pulp from cooled garlic cloves (as much or as little as desired) and mince. Add to bowl, and whisk to blend. The dressing can be made ahead and kept for up to five days in the refrigerator.

To assemble the salad, place vegetables and crawfish in a large mixing bowl, and toss to mix. Start with 1⁄2 cup of dressing and mix, adding more until you reach the desired consistency. (Any leftovers make a tasty dip for crudités.) Add the celery and scallions; taste and season with salt and pepper.