The other night I finally got around to watching “American Teen“. In this compelling documentary, the typical archetypes are presented; the geek, the jock, the hearthrob, the outsider and the queen bee. There wasn’t anything all the different about these kids; they were living in a small town, all doing their best to find their little spot in the world.
As I watched, I couldn’t help but cringe and bury my face in my hands on more than one occasion. The geek was awkward, cursed with a case of raw and angry acne, and painfully resigned to his dorky existence. The jock was crumbling under the pressure from his father to get a scholarship. The queen bee was lashing out–cruelly and viciously–in an attempt to hide some serious pain. The heartthrob was desperately trying to grow as a person, but kept on getting sucked back in to his clique. And the outcast was pretty awesome, but was just suffocating in a small, narrow minded town.
Despite the texting and instant messaging, it was pretty similar to everyone’s high school existence. The thing was, watching it, I was reminded how freaking real that all was. I wished I could tell them “It will get better.” “It won’t always be like this.” “You are cute and I promise your skin will clear.” “Once you leave this town you will see how rad you are.” “Let me show you how to fill out a FAFSA; don’t join the damned Army.”
It is still the same. Will it ever change, those high school years? I doubt it, but it was good to be reminded that with time and maturity, it does get better.
(Sure, potato salad. I hear ya; not culinary amazingness, but you know you have a zillion BBQs to go to this summer and you will have to bring something. This is a healthier, more grown up version of the potato salad your mom used to make. Gone is the mayo and in comes the yogurt. It is tangy and full of crunch and way more interesting than that stuff with relish in it. Make sure to liberally salt the water before cooking the potatoes. And see? While I think bacon is way overused, it does add a depth here. I am not the anti-Christ, I just think bacon has it’s place…and it is in this.)
Grown Up Potato Salad
6 lbs baby red potatoes, cubed
8 strips turkey bacon, chopped
1 medium red onion, diced
5 stalks celery, diced
1 –17.6 oz. container Fage Fat Free yogurt, filtered through a coffee filter over a mesh colander
3 TBSP dijon mustard
1.5 TBSP cider vinegar
Salt and pepper
Cube potatoes and add to a large pot of cold water. Liberally salt water (about 3 tablespoons of salt) and bring water to boil. While potatoes boil, place yogurt in coffee filter inside sieve over a bowl. Chop bacon and cook until done over medium heat. Drain on paper towel when done. Chop onions and celery. In a medium bowl, mix together yogurt, mustard and vinegar. When potatoes are cooked, drain them and rise with cold water for about a minute. Mix together yogurt mixture, bacon, celery, onions, and potatoes. Liberally salt and pepper.
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{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
I LOVE potato salad, so I’ll definitely have to give this one a try.
Was there a chorus/theater nerd in the documentary? They always leave us out, but trust me, we were the seedy underbelly of the high school hierarchy. Ha!
No, they stuck more to the band angle. True story: I was treasurer of my HS chorus.
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This was tasty. The yogurt was a great choice. Though I have to admit, by the time I went back for more, my whole mouth tasted like Firefly vodka because I feel like I was drinking it by the gallon.
Thanks…and yes, the Firefly. I am not even a huge iced tea fan and I was in to that.
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Also, in high school? The dreaded trifecta for me: band, choir and the debate team. Seriously.
Did you touch a booby in HS?
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Does side-boob count?
Halfsies counts.
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What if I hate celery? Can I leave out the celery or substitute it with say for example . . . tomatoes? A potato-tomato salad?
Oh lordy–tomatoes would be texturally kind of weird. Just leave them out…or maybe try water chestnuts.
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Kind of sounds like the Breakfast Club all over again. I think my teen experience was more like the movie “Kids”.
Kids…jesus. What a bad ass. That opening scene still haunts me. I don’t want to see kissing that close.
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I’ve been wanting to watch American Teen. HS was only a couple years ago for me, but it seems like it has changed so much already.
Also, the potato salad looks good, but anything that uses yogurt kind of freaks me out. I just always imagine yogurt as sweet, not something you put in real food, you know?
Welcome, liferehab. I assure you all yogurt is not strawberry Dannon…you should try it.
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I was such a sad nerd in high school- I’m talking, orchestra, college classes and math tutoring. LAME! I was lucky, though that I knew life would get better once I went off to college. Since then, life is good.
I didn’t fit in…kinda loud, way too vocal regarding my opinions and overweight. Thank goodness we are awesome now.
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I am totally Netflixing that. After I Love You Man, I can handle any amount of awkward cringe-worthiness. At least these kids will grow out of it.
For real; it is worse because it isn’t a “movie”..this is really happening to these kids.
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No mayo…nice. Buck the potato salad stereotype!
I don’t hate mayo like some people but it is overused.
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I was part of The Awesome Crowd in high school. Never heard of that clique? That’s probably because I was the only one awesome enough to be in it.
I hear the awesome club ate lunch in a bathroom stall.
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What, no stoner? Damn them!!!
Yes, they did miss that crowd…good call.
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Love, love potato salad, so I’ll have to try this.
Between your story and my new glasses, I feel like I’m that nerd in high school again. Now I need to find some drop outs and valedictorians so I really feel like a teenager. I was that strange nerd that had friends in both groups.
Same here, I was all over the place with my friends.
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Sounds like this was for you what Napoleon Dynamite was to me. I swear I knew most of the characters in that bizarroid movie. Switch out debate team for drama and I’m another f.B. with a resounding “no” to the question.
This recipe could validate the existence of turkey bacon, which has otherwise so far (in my experience) has been nothing but a tough, nasty replacement at best. Beef more or less works, though.
Yogurt through a coffee filter? I cannot imagine that actually passing through the paper. Though for liferehab, let me suggest a single spoonful of unflavored yogurt to permanently banish the idea of it being naturally sweet. I use it as a sour cream replacement in a bunch of things, thanks to a chef friend who lived in France for a time and wanted less fatty stuff with equal yum power.
Sorry if I wasn’t clear: the yogurt doesn’t filter through, but a bunch of water drains out. The yogurt gets way thicker sans all that water.
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yummy- this looks really good.
Thanks, folks seemed to like it.
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Ooh, I really like substituting the yogurt in. I’m not a big mayo fan.
Also, I kind of loved high school. I wouldn’t go back at ALL, but I did love it while I was there.
That is awesome. I was so ready to leave.
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Perfect! I was just thinking yesterday I need a new potato salad recipe for an upcoming cookout. You deliver better than Domino’s.
True story–I live in your head.
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You know how I feel about bacon
the gift from the godsbut does turkey bacon give as much a kick to the salad as the stuff us gentiles like to eat?I really think it does; it imparts a smokiness. You get that no matter if it is turkey or pork bacon.
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I am so glad I went to a some what ghetto high school near the beach. No one ever gave me or my friends a hard time. In fact we were or at least tried to be, cool with everyone. I did see the other stereo types and always felt kind of bad for them. Sad that they could never break free no matter how hard they tried.
I could say that “my” stereo type was perpetuated, but I was totally cool with being the “surfer dude.” Made life simple and easy. No real stress or expectations. Though I can see it’s down fall today, back then it was sweet.
Yeah, surfer dude seems a pretty awesome group to fall in to, my friend.
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That recipe looks fab! However, my hubby has been really good about me substituting foods to facilitate my diet, but think he would kick my ass if I tried to feed him turkey bacon. Ha!
He totally won’t know. I promise.
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fuck the fafsa! That thing still haunts me.
God, I know. It was awful but better than getting blown up.
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And I realize that as I get older, I find myself hating teens more and more.
They are getting it from all sides.
I am not gonna lie; they kinda annoy me too.
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“Damned Army.” Nice. Who says liberals don’t support the troops?
Who says you aren’t predictable? I knew you would be the one to say this.
The kid says, over and over again in the movie, he doesn’t want to join. “I don’t want to kill someone.”
I support the troops. You don’t know me and please don’t presume to know my politics.
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that’s my hand!! hahaha
but more importantly – that was one of the best damn potato salads I have ever tasted EVER and I am seriously fucking picky about that shit.
Seriously.
It is your hand! And I am so glad you liked this, dear.
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I saw American Teen in the theater. I had to cry at the amount of minorites in it. Oh, there were none?
F you Hollywood.
There was a black kid! On the basketball team! They told him he looked like Magic Johnson!
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There is no part of high school I want to repeat, other than graduating and leaving town forever.
Potato salad is such a great reminder that hot weather is coming soon enough. I love it! My mentor told me the secret was getting the potatoes into the dressing while they were hot. I’m hungry!
yes, hot potatoes help the dressing really get absorbed.
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Hey, someone has to pull your hair once in a while.
Ha, believe me…I am reminded of my shortcomings on the regular.
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This recipe was truly awesome – I expect to make it quite a few times over the coming months.
One suggestion, if you don’t mind such – I usually put a bay leaf into the water as I boil potatoes. The difference is subtle, especially in something like this, but it does give the flavor a little extra dimension.
Of course…I never mind cooking tips. What a great idea. Thanks for sharing.
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