Mackerel Potato Salad & A Polo Match - Video

Summer is here and the time is right for potato salad and a picnic. May The 99 Cent Chef recommend a pleasant outing to Will Rogers' Polo Club? Take winding, tree-lined Sunset Boulevard into Pacific Palisades for an equestrian game gazing picnic. And what goes more splendidly with croquet played on horseback than The Chef's Mackerel Potato Salad?

On the first day of summer The Chef took a group including his wife, her parents, and, visiting from Austin, his sister Denise and her husband Dale, to a 9:30 a.m. polo match at Will Rogers State Historical Park. Parking is eight dollars, but well worth it for 4 hours of equestrian entertainment -- the event itself is open to the public and ticket-free. You decamp with your picnic basket and lawn chairs, and yes, beer or wine is allowed, to find a spot along the emerald green field - flanked by a small hill on one side and an eucalyptus tree shaded area next to the announcer's booth on the other side.

If you have not watched a polo match before, think of mallet-wielding soccer players on horseback, dressed ever so elegantly in field boots, thundering down the field swatting at a softball-sized polo ball. You can go to willrogerspolo.org and click here for instructions on the art of the polo match. The main website gives you directions to Will Rogers State Park and Saturday and Sunday polo game times, which run until October.

You can take a break from the polo matches with a hike in the park or a tour of Will Rogers' cowboy-styled residence. Below is the Chef's video visit to a Will Rogers Polo Club Match.

Will Rogers Polo Match - Video

Play it here. The video runs 2 minutes, 29 seconds.


Now on to the main food event -- Mackerel Potato Salad. The Chef offers a German style vinegar/mustard dressing mixed into yellow potatoes and packaged mackerel, both bought on sale at this 99c only Store. You can use any canned fish in water including sardines, salmon, herring or tuna, often on sale at any market. Chopped green onion adds color and crunch. You can serve this potato salad warm or cold, and it complements sandwiches and beer.

Ingredients (serves about 4)

• 2 lbs. gold potatoes - or substitute red or white small potatoes
• 2 whole green onions chopped
• 3 tbsp. dijon mustard
• 3 tbsp. cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. sugar or substitute (taste for sweetness)
• 1 tbsp. dried dill (2 tbsp. if fresh chopped)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 5 oz.of cooked jack mackerel from can or pouch - ok to substitute any tinned fish in water

Directions
Chop potatoes into about 1 inch pieces with or without skin on. Add to low boiling water for about 10-15 minutes. Done when easily pierced with a fork. Drain and set aside while preparing dressing. Whisk together mustard, oil, sugar, and vinegar. Mix together potatoes, dressing, and dill and season with salt and pepper. Finally, drain and lightly mix in fish, trying to keep fish as larger flakes. Serve warm or chilled.
 


By the way, many California parks will be fee free for a couple of weekends this summer:
July 18-19, 2009
August 15-16, 2009
Click here for info -- Will Rogers State Historical Park is not on the list :(
Thanks for the heads up Bargain Babe.

Click here to embed or view video on youtube.