Mrs. H’s Shoestring Potato Tuna Salad

My bestie and I live three states apart, but out in the west, and when one of those states is Texas, this adds up to a pretty dang far distance.  Too far to get to spend as much time together as we’d like.  But we stay close by texting every few days and calling often, we read out of the same Bible devotional every day, we send each other pins on Pinterest, and at least once a year we travel to meet somewhere and spend a few days hanging out.

She came to both my girls’ weddings, my girls both call her Aunt Treva.  And I in turn got to go to her son’s wedding, and even take pictures.  We are as close as sisters, and I feel so blessed to have her in my life.  She’s my people.  My home team.  My rock.  My laughter.  And my comfort zone.  We go together like peas and carrots.  

Her family moved to my little town when we were just four years old, and she and I went through school together, from Kindergarten to graduation, although she got to graduate a year early.

Her mom was the best cook in town.  You can string me up if I am lying.  Ask anyone who lived there.  I cherished every invitation to come to supper.  And, I have several of her recipes that I still make to this day.  I even found a set of dishes at a yard sale once that are the same ones she had, pattern, color, and everything, and I bought them.  Whenever I serve food on them I hope that it is somehow blessed by sweet mama-Agnes as she looks down from heaven.  Her own dishes of course passed down to Treva, and so we both have the same dishes in our kitchens.  Isn’t that fun?

Treva and I were visiting on the phone the other day, asking each other what we were going to make for supper, and when I told her I was thinking of making tuna salad she told me about a tuna salad her mom used to make sometimes when she was going to have girlfriends over.  I’m not usually a fan of tuna on a tomato, and what’s funny is neither is my friend, but I will admit, it is much better on a nice fresh ripe garden tomato, one of those magnificent heirloom black tomatoes especially, which I just happen to have today.  Treva also suggested trying a halved bell pepper next time.  A red one, for looks.  She’s a genius … it is a perfect substitute!

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MRS H’s SHOESTRING POTATO TUNA SALAD

1 cup julienned Carrots

1 cup julienned Celery

1/4 cup finely chopped Green Onion

1 can (12 oz) Tuna (I prefer the kind packed in water), drained

Mayo (maybe half to 3/4 cup – I just eyeball it)

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1 heaping tsp. fresh or dried Dill Weed

1 serrano chili, seeds, stems, and membranes removed, minced

season to taste with:  (start with a little shake of each)

lemon pepper

ground pepper

Montreal steak seaonsing

1 (1.5 oz.) can Shoestring Potatoes

Romaine lettuce

2 Fresh, ripe, garden Heirloom Tomatoes  (or substitute red bell peppers)

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Instructions

In a large bowl, combine carrots, celery, onion, tuna, mayo, lemon juice, dill weed, serrano chili (I am hopelessly addicted to heat, so I add the whole thing, but you can add as much or as little as you want, or none if you are sensitive to spicy foods), and seasonings.  Add a little kosher salt to taste if desired.  Cover and chill for an hour or so in the fridge.

When ready to serve, cut tomatoes in half (be fancy), wash the lettuce and lay a leaf or two down on each plate.  Set half of a tomato in the center of the lettuce.  Now, at this point I like to drizzle both with dressing, and I happened to have Green Goddess when I took this photo, but my favorite, favorite, favorite is Serrano Ranch!

Stir half of the shoestring potatoes into the tuna…  (I like the spicy ones)

…and then pile tuna salad onto each tomato, dividing equally between four servings.  Garnish with the remaining shoestrings and serve.

If using bell pepper in place of tomatoes, you can slice it into strips (to make it a little easier to eat) and just tuck a few on the side of your tuna salad.  Or, you can cut the bell pepper in half lengthwise and fill it with the salad, just like you would the tomato.

This is how my friend Treva’s mom used to serve hers, with bread-and-butter pickles and a boiled egg.  I also like to tuck in a couple cucumber spears, when I have them.  YUM!!!!!!!.

Thank you Ms. Treva for sharing another winner with me!!!!  Sending hugs to you and to your precious mother, God rest her sweet soul.  I’m blowing kisses your way.  ❤

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“We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic.”   Numbers 11:5