Creamy Mashed Potato Salad with Eggs and Fennel

I like to stretch my boundaries a wee bit.  Alright, alright, a lot, okay I admit it.  I like to stretch them like a yoga posture.  Flexibility and strength... oh, and I made this awesome creamy mashed potato salad too.  I like to make sure I have a lot of time with friends, especially during the warm summer months.  My friend and I organized a weekly dinner/ BBQ at Maxwelton beach, which got me thinking about BBQ food.  I mean that traditional fat inducing American fare, not my usual thing.  I know, I usually don't post too much Americana, but like I said that's where the stretching, flexibility comes in.  What's wrong with a wee bit of comfort food, I mean really??

So here it is, partly courtesy of the great blog, The Pioneer Woman Cooks, is a lovely Creamy Mashed Potato Salad.  I changed the recipe to fit with the ingredients that I have available at my house.  Instead of pickles/and or dill I used fresh fennel and thyme.  I added garlic powder, an extra egg and less mayo than the recipe calls for.  Plus I used Vegenaise instead of regular mayonnaise.  Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with good 'ol mayo, but I really like the Vegenaise
Here is my adapted recipe, enjoy with other American classics like hot dogs, burgers, and bbq.


Creamy Mashed Potato Salad with Eggs and Fennel
4 russet potatoes cut into 1x1 inch pieces
4 red potatoes, cut into 1x1 inch pieces
1 cup to 1 1/4 cup mayo/Veganaise
5 hard boiled eggs (I cooked eggs for 7-8 minutes in water that was brought to a  boil, set eggs aside to cool)
fresh thyme and fennel, chopped small, as  much as you want, to your taste.
salt and pepper to taste
4 TBS Dijon mustard


Potatoes:
Bring water and potatoes to boil. Cook until soft.  Put potatoes though a manual food processor to make them creamy and separate the peels from the insides.  Next add:
mayo,
Dijon mustard,
salt, pepper, thyme, fennel, and lastly the hard boiled eggs.

Hard Boiled Eggs:
I am really more fond of soft boiled eggs, so I bring water to a boil then add the eggs and cook the eggs for 7 to 8 minutes. Run briefly under water and set aside until cool.  I have found that 7 to 8 minutes is perfect for my chicken eggs.  They are not particularly big eggs, so if they were I would cook them for a minute or too longer. 

 Mashing the potatoes

A little help from a little friend...

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