'Pioneer Woman' Ree Drummond Adds Marinara to Potato Salad and I Don't Know How I Feel About It
There are two types of people in this world — those who love potato salad and those who pass over it at the summer potlucks.
I have always leaned toward the latter. I’ll be the first to admit I’ve never been a fan of cold potatoes drenched in mayo.
But I’m always up for trying something new. As a huge fan of Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond — and a constant consumer of every Pioneer Woman kitchen item that hits Walmart’s shelves — I must say her latest take on the classic recipe has me intrigued.
Before you protest and say “You don’t mess with a classic” or start pulling out your pitchforks, let’s remember that sometimes new really can be better.
Without new, we wouldn’t have Chick-fil-A sauce or Starbucks’ Chestnut Praline Lattes every winter. If we didn’t step out and give new a chance, we’d miss out on deep fried turkey at Thanksgiving and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland.
And, without new, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to try Drummond’s Pepperoni Potato Salad complete with Parmesan cheese and, you guessed it, marinara sauce.
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The first thing I did when I heard about this wildly different recipe was scan the ingredients for mayo. Potato salad lovers, rest assured. The mayo is still there.
“…potato salad can be pretty boring and run of the mill, so I think it has to be very delicious,” the popular cook and homemaker told Us Weekly.
You certainly won’t find anything “run of the mill” about mozzarella pearls, green olives and pepperoni. The recipe also calls for fresh basil and Yukon gold potatoes.
Some have praised Drummond for the update. Corey Williams of MyRecipes.com calls the twist on the classic “genius.”
Others have given the television personality’s creation a much harder time. One reviewer on FoodNetwork.com calls it the “Worst potato salad I ever ate! The olives just do not belong.”
Still another on the same site gave the recipe 5 stars, noting the recipe was easy. “I love it!” the reviewer wrote.
One reviewer offered up 4 stars, explaining some tweaks she used to cater to her family’s tastes. “Made this last night but left out the green olives because my family doesn’t care for them,” she explained. “Used cut up string cheese instead of mozzarella pearls because that’s what I had on hand and I sprinkled in a little cayenne at the end; turned out delicious. Will make again.”
For more Ree Drummond recipes, check out her new cookbook “The New Frontier” coming October 2019 to a bookstore near you.
Would you try Drummond’s Pepperoni Potato Salad? I might tweak the recipe myself — bring on the marinara and say goodbye to mayo! What can I say? I’m a rebel at heart.
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