POTATO SALAD WITH GARLIC MAYONNAISE

Makes about 8 servings

• 3 to 4 pounds small boiling potatoes
• 3 garlic cloves, minced and mashed with 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (or more, to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon Creole mustard
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water until just tender. Drain and cool. In a large bowl, combine the garlic paste, lemon juice, mayonnaise and Creole mustard. Whisk to blend well. When the potatoes are cool, peel and cut in half. Add the potatoes and the green onions to the mayonnaise mixture and toss to coat evenly. Season with salt and black pepper.

Sweet potatoes are great to serve with gumbo. In some parts of south Louisiana, the locals put the sweet potato in their gumbo! Try it, you might like it.

They are also so easy to bake. Start with a washed potato. There is no need to oil or butter the skin and do not prick the potato with a fork. Cook the potatoes whole, not cut in half. Bake with their skins on at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 degrees and bake for 45 minutes or until tender. Check for doneness by squeezing the potato—it should be soft to the touch.

Make a pitcher of lemonade with REAL lemons or maybe ice tea tweaked with fresh mint leaves, and keep your cooking to a minimum. Here’s a menu that is fairly simple to put together. The seafood salad can be made with crabmeat alone, but you can also add shrimp and chunks of lobster meat. The tomatoes stuffed with zucchini can be made ahead of time as can the angel food cake. Then sit back and enjoy those crazy-hazy days of summer. SUMMER SEAFOOD SALAD Makes about 8 servings

• 3 pounds medium-size shrimp, boiled and peeled
• 1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
• 1/2 pound coarsely chopped cooked lobster tail meat (optional)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 (more or less to taste) mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons Creole or Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained
• 2 tablespoons chopped green olives
• Salt, freshly ground black pepper and cayenne to taste
• Tabasco to taste
• 4 cups assorted salad greens, washed, patted dry, and torn into bite-size pieces
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Combine the seafood, parsley, celery, lemon juice, mayonnaise, mustard, capers, and olives in a large salad bowl. Season with salt, black pepper, cayenne, and Tabasco, then toss gently to mix. Chill for at least one hour. In another mixing bowl, toss the salad greens with the olive oil and season lightly with salt and black pepper. To serve, line a large serving bowl (or for individual service line individual salad plates) with the salad greens. Arrange the seafood salad on top of the greens. Serve immediately.