This is the kind of recipe that I especially love. Yes, because deviled eggs are having a comeback moment and this classic salad is delicious-creamy, tangy and punctuated by the crisp texture of diced celery and onion-but more so because it brought back memories and offers a strong foundation that can be built on. After I made it at home, this Deviled Egg Potato Salad (served at our Sixth & Pine restaurants) took me right back to my grandmother's kitchen and her famous egg salad.

This is the kind of recipe you pass down the family line and are asked to share at barbecues and picnics. It's the kind of recipe to which each new cook adds a special spin making it her own. After my first taste, I added my grandmother's secret egg salad ingredient-and I don't think she'd mind me sharing. It took me years to pry it out of my sister, who was one of the only people my grandmother divulged her winning ingredient to: apple cider vinegar. Simple, but what a difference it makes to the memories on my palette.

While this classic potato salad with mustard and egg is perfectly flavored and balanced as is, there are so many different ways you could adjust it for a personalized touch: adding bacon (of course), scallions and cucumber, blue cheese with hot sauce for a Buffalo-style twist, shrimp with capers and parsley, harissa, scallions with dill and lox, paprika and chorizo ... the list goes on. Make this recipe for your next summer gathering, and feel free to make it your own.

Deviled Egg Potato Salad
From theNordstrom Family Table Cookbook and Sixth & Pine
Serves 8

Ingredients:
3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch dice
4 eggs
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons yellow prepared mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons dill pickle relish, drained in a fine-mesh sieve
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more to taste
1 cup 1/4-inch-diced celery
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup drained and finely chopped dill pickles
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the diced potatoes and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook at a brisk simmer until the potatoes are tender but still hold their shape, about 12 minutes. Gently drain and rinse under cold running water until they stop steaming profusely. Transfer to a large bowl and cover. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 2 hours.

2. Place eggs in a saucepan and add cold water to cover by 1 inch. Slowly bring to a full simmer over medium heat. Cover tightly and remove from the heat. Let stand for 15 minutes. Drain the eggs and transfer to a bowl of ice water. Let stand for 5 minutes. Peel the hard-boiled eggs and cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

3. Stir the mayonnaise, yellow and Dijon mustards, relish and cayenne together in a large bowl until combined. Add the chilled potatoes, sliced eggs, celery, onion and dill pickles and mix. Season the salad with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate to blend the flavors, at least 1 hour or up to 1 day. Serve chilled.

-Jeff Powell