Buffalo Potato Salad good for the Fourth

Chicken wings are wonderful, but Buffalo Chicken Wings are on another level - and that's thanks to the sauce. Defined by blue cheese, celery and hot sauce, Buffalo sauce could glorify any number of dishes. (Imagine how luscious it would be on a steak!) Looking ahead to the Fourth of July and its picnics, I wondered what would happen if I Buffalo'd some potato salad.

To "preseason" the potatoes, toss them with vinegar and salt while they're still hot, just after you've boiled them but before adding the dressing. Fifteen minutes later the potatoes will have fully absorbed the pre-seasonings - and become that much more flavorful - and you're then free to slather them in the mayo and sour cream.

Potatoes, like pasta, not only absorb liquid, they also keep absorbing it until there's none left. That means the potato salad that was so nice and creamy when you first dressed it may have dried out 15 minutes later. If that happens, just stir in a little cold water and the silkiness will return.

Creamy Buffalo Potato Salad

Preparation time: Start to finish: 1 hour (30 minutes active)

1 pound medium boiling potatoes, scrubbed and sliced ¼-inch thick, preferably using a mandoline (please use the guard)

1 small baking potato (about ½ pound), peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick, preferably using a mandoline (please use the guard)

¼ cup cider vinegar

1½teaspoons kosher salt

1/3 cup mayonnaise

¼ cup sour cream or plain no-fat Greek yogurt

2 ounces crumbled blue cheese (preferably the soft creamy kind)

1 to 2 teaspoons hot sauce or to taste

½ cup finely chopped celery plus celery leaves for garnish

Black pepper

In a medium saucepan combine the potatoes with cold lightly salted water to cover by 2 inches and bring the water to a boil. Simmer the potatoes until they are just tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar and the salt until the salt is dissolved. When the potatoes are tender, drain and add them immediately to the bowl with the vinegar mixture. Toss the potatoes well with the vinegar mixture and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, blue cheese, hot sauce, chopped celery and pepper to taste to the potatoes and toss well. If the potato salad seems dry, stir in some cold water and toss again. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the celery leaves.

Makes 6 servings.