Laurie Vaskov Snell’s Spring Potato Salad recipe is a family favorite – The Kansas City Star

Planting a garden near her Union Hill home feeds Laurie Vaskov Snell, body and soul. For the past decade, growing a vegetable garden has grounded Laurie and her family, which includes her husband Mike Snell and two sons, Charlie, 15, and Oscar, 13.

A private practice lawyer representing parents and children in Jackson County Family Court by day, Laurie Snell seeks the solace of her garden after hours. “Our garden is a place for me to go to relax and nurture something that doesn’t talk back to me,” she says.

Q: What a lovely, historical home you have.

A: We bought this home in 1998, right before Charlie was born, and it’s been a great place to raise our boys. There’s constant maintenance on a home that was built in 1887, but there’s also great history surrounding us here. As the weather gets nicer, we love to eat outside on the rooftop deck, which has wonderful views of downtown Kansas City and the Liberty Memorial.

Q: So, how does your garden grow?

A: I planted all of the cold crops the first week of March. Vegetables like radishes, lettuces and spinach love the colder weather and it’s wonderful to pick fresh lettuce from your own garden for a salad with dinner. There’s really nothing like eating freshly picked vegetables. When the cold crops are done producing, I will then plant peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers and herbs the first part of May. Basically, it is a gazpacho garden. I also like knowing exactly from where our food is coming, and it’s satisfying to be able to grow it, preserve it — by canning and freezing — and share it with others.

Q: You seem to be a big supporter of urban gardening.

A: Everyone can take part in converting nonproductive landscapes and growing a vegetable garden. You don’t need a lot of space to have a vegetable garden.

We are members of the Kansas City Community Gardens organization. It is dedicated to helping home gardeners have successful gardens and helping people grow food for themselves in backyards, vacant lots and at community garden sites in the Kansas City area. KCCG provides seeds, plants, equipment rental, gardening education and support for people growing their own food.

Also, Mike and I have a video-oriented project called “KC Raised,” which shows what goes into cultivating a small patch of ground in the middle of an urban environment. We also show how to cook using produce we’ve grown and other urban gardens. There are few things that are better than having a taste of summer tomatoes in the middle of winter, and I show how to make a soup using tomatoes we’ve frozen.

Q: How did you land upon this potato salad recipe to share?

A: Mike really likes potatoes and salads and I saw this recipe in Food & Wine magazine in May 1996 and thought he might like it. It turned out yummy the first time I made it, and I have been making it ever since. Usually, it’s for one of our first meals in the spring, outside on the deck. One of the things I like about this recipe — besides the fact that it tastes so good — is that it doesn’t have any mayonnaise and can sit outside or on the counter for a bit and it won’t go bad.

I bring it to spring and summer potluck dinners, too. I think it tastes best after the flavors marinate together and the dressing soaks into the potatoes. You can chill it if there are leftovers, but I like it served a bit warm or at room temperature. Basically, for me, this dish goes with spring and eating outside on my deck with my family. If you’re planting your own potatoes, you have until the middle of April to get them in the ground!