Potato Salad Redux, plus a Giveaway!

I want to start this post with an apology to OXO.    Almost immediately after receiving their generous offer in the mail (see below), the book offer dropped into my lap.  Work on book?  Or post about mandoline?  No contest ... sorry, OXO!

Full disclosure:  The #OXO company, as part of their Blogger Outreach Program, provided two mandoline-style slicers for free, one to use and review and another as a free giveaway.   I was not paid for this review. Unless you count the freebies.

We now return you to our regularly snarky scheduled post.  I already own a couple of crappy inexpensive mandolines, so I was really thrilled that OXO was willing to provide a new improved version for my very own, plus another to give to a Dear Reader!  Read below to find out how to score your own.

There's even a lock-step.

My old slicers only have two thickness steps, paper-thin and see-thru.  The OXO has 3 thickness steps. So not even out of the package it was far and away superior.

Trust me ... there's a bumper under that safety grip.

It has rubber bumper edges, and not just for looks, either.  The bumper side grips on the edge of a bowl.  My old ones have plastic feet that slide around when I work over a flat surface.  Don't even suggest trying to drape the feet over a bowl ... those little square feet make it impossible.

The handle side is coated with the same rubber for easy gripping, which at first seemed so much more superior to my handle-less ones.  But even with the bumper end griping onto the bowl, it still jiggles around a bit.  But it turned out to be a minor inconvenience,  especially since the safety grip prevents slicing off my fingers, something that theHubby discovered he could easily do with the old slicer (and we still have the emergency room bill to prove it).

So I would say that the OXO, although not perfect, did a good job at slicing the potatoes.  I used the slices to make potato salad, the full recipe for which can be found at an earlier post.  Since I didn't post photos then, here are are few along with a little bit of direction:

Safety first!  Get a grip!

Cut the potatoes in half, then in quarters.  Thinly slice the quarters,  (or use #3 on the OXO).

Now add the potatoes to a big ol' pot of cold salted water.    Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.  Let cook, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes.  You should be able to pierce the slices with only a touch of resistance with a fork.  Drain well, then toss back into the hot pot for a minute.

Mix together the dressing ingredients, then gently fold into the potatoes.

Garnish with remaining scallions and paprika (but not in that order).  Refrigerate at least an hour before serving.   Or serve immediately if you like warm potato salad, as I do.

Now for the giveaway!

*** Giveaway now closed ***

OXO , in case you haven't read the disclosure, has supplied me with another mandoline to send to a Dear Reader.  To enter, just leave a comment by 9pm EDT on Monday, July 9, 2012, mentioning other uses for a mandoline.  Leave your email if you don't supply a website with contact info.  One comment per Dear Reader, please.  The winner will be picked by a non-human number generator.  Good luck!