Are there dishes in particular that embody your hometown? Are there special foods that you can find only in that area? We are celebrating everything “hometown food” today for Sunday Supper, and I am bringing along my Greek Salad with Potato Salad for the fun!
To be honest, I am not sure which city/town you would actually consider to be my “hometown.” At this point, I’ve lived in 6 states (some of those states more than once…moved back and forth), attended countless schools as a child, and lived in almost 20 different houses/apartments/townhouses. It’s kind of overwhelming.
But for today, I’m saying my hometown is in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. I’ve lived in this area longer than any other, and it just so happens that Justin has lived here his entire life (aside from about a year when we both lived in Virginia together). When I started to think of what food embodied my hometown, the first thing that came to mind is one of my all time favorite dishes to enjoy: a Greek salad.
Tarpon Springs, Florida happens to be home to a huge Greek community. Greek food is very common to find around here, and it just so happens that the Tampa Bay area is home to a variety of the Greek salad that most people are not familiar with.
So – you’ve got your lettuce, cucumber, bell pepper, pepperocini, kalamata olives, feta cheese…but what makes this salad a Tampa Bay area Greek salad is one additional ingredient – potato salad.
I’ll admit: it was insanely peculiar the first time we encountered it. I remember when we first moved down to Florida and my mom ordered a Greek salad when we went out to lunch. She ate a few bites, and then when her fork dug down towards the bottom of her bowl, she discovered something…extra. There was a scoop of potato salad at the bottom! She was incredibly confused at the time, but the waitress explained to us how it was normal in our area.
And you know what? It grew on us. And now I don’t really want my Greek salad any other way. The creamy potato salad almost acts like dressing on the salad, and adds a fabulous texture to the mix. I know – it sounds SO weird. But trust me: if you try it, you will probably like it just as much as I’ve grown to.
So, even if you don’t live in the Tampa area, I urge you to give this combination a try…it really is amazing!
Do you have a “signature dish” your hometown is known for? What is it?
- For the potato salad:
- 2.5 pounds red skin potatoes
- 2 green onions, diced
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise (I used olive oil mayo)
- 2 tablespoons Greek vinaigrette
- Salt and pepper, to taste.
- For the salad:
- Romaine lettuce, spring mix, arugula (I use a mixture of the three)
- Bell pepper, diced
- Cucumber, diced
- Tomatoes, diced
- Beets, diced
- Pepperocini, sliced
- Kalamata olives
- Green onion, diced
- Feta cheese, crumbled
- Greek vinaigrette
- Fresh cracked pepper, to taste
- First, make the potato salad. Dice the potatoes into one inch cubes, then add to a pot of boiling water and cook until fork tender, about 12-15 minutes. Drain the water and set potatoes aside to cool completely.
- When potatoes are cool, mix them with the green onions, mayonnaise, and Greek vinaigrette. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place potato salad in the refrigerator to cool for at least one hour. Makes enough for about 6 salad servings.
- To assemble the salad, mix lettuce/spring mix/arugula in a bowl or plate. Top with bell pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, beets, pepperocini, Kalamata olives, green onions, and sprinkle with feta cheese. The potato salad can either be served on the side, on top, or on the bottom of the salad, depending on preference. Add fresh cracked pepper and Greek vinaigrette; enjoy!
Check out all of the different hometown dishes being served up for Sunday Supper today!
Breakfast
- Alamo City Breakfast Tacos by The Weekend Gourmet
- Gluten Free Cinnamon Raisin Bagels by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
- Mickey Mouse Waffles by Wallflour Girl
- New York Style Bagels by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
- Peanut Butter and Fluff French Toast by Momma’s Meals
Drinks
- Candied Kumquat Peels, Kumquat Syrup, and Kumquat-Ade by Recipe for Perfection
- Wine Pairing Recommendations for Hometown Food by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
Appetizers and Snacks
- Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings by Peanut Butter and Peppers
- Cuban Sandwich Crostini by Casa de Crews
- Cuban Sandwich Dip by Family Foodie
- South Jersey Boardwalk Popcorn by Take A Bite Out of Boca
Main Dishes
- Chicken and Dumplings by Food Lust People Love
- Crockpot Cincinnati Chili by Palatable Pastime
- Fried Rice Vermicelli with Vegetable Fritters by Brunch with Joy
- Honey Cola Baked Ham by Magnolia Days
- Hot Brown Ham Sliders by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Joe’s Special by Nosh My Way
- Lentil, Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Curry by Mess Makes Food
- New England Beans and Cod by Cooking Chat
- Oven Toasted Ravioli by Curious Cuisiniere
- Philadelphia Tomato Pie by The Redhead Baker
- Pierogies by Hezzi D’s Books and Cooks
- Portobello “Philly Cheese Steak” by PancakeWarriors
- Pozole Rojo by Simply Healthy Family
- Revved-up Poutine by Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
- Rice with Pork and Pineapple by Basic N Delicious
- San Francisco Cioppino by Eat, Drink and be Tracy
- Seattle-Style Dungeness Crab Roll by Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
- Tex-Mex Cheese Enchiladas with Chile con Carne by The Texan New Yorker
- The Pittsburgh Devonshire Sandwich by Seduction in the Kitchen
- Upper Peninsula Pasties by Recipes Food and Cooking
- Victory Pig Sicilian Style Pizza by Rants From My Crazy Kitchen
- Xiang La Tu Zi // Hot & Spicy Rabbit by Curried Canteloupe
Side Dishes
- 1905 Salad by Supper for a Steal
- Chicken Rice Pilaf by Crazy Foodie Stunts
- Classic Italian Risotto in Bianco by La Bella Vita Cucina
- Greek Salad with Potato Salad by Ruffles & Truffles
- Korean Steamed Eggs by Hip Foodie Mom
- Smoke House Cheesy Garlic Bread by Peaceful Cooking
Desserts
- Apple Crisp by Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
- Buckeye Cupcakes by Desserts Required
- Carob Bumpy Cake by Pies and Plots
- Chocolate Earthquake Cake by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Chocolate Pocky Cake by NinjaBaker
- Grandma Sweeney’s Chocolate Cream Pie by Lifestyle Food Artistry
- Lemon Buttermilk Bundt Cake by Alida’s Kitchen
- Memories of Mom; Michigan Apple Cake by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Mile High Strawberry Pie by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Pear Parkin by Happy Baking Days
- Vegan Timbits by Killer Bunnies, Inc
- Vernors Cake by Country Girl in the Village
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.
Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.
I have to admit, potato salad in my Greek salad is a new one on me. I don’t think I have ever seen it served that way. However, now I have something to look forward to when I visit Tampa!
Your salad is incredibly pretty, and I adore the idea of the spud salad in the bowl with it. How clever of the first person who thought of doing it that way!
This combination surprised me the first time I heard of it—but I have a feeling I’d become an instant fan after one bite 🙂
I’ve never heard of that, but it sounds interesting. Definitely something I’ll have to try.
I love Greek food, hmmm maybe I need to move to Tampa! This looks so good!
Even with your hometown identity crisis I love your salads! They look great, and my husband is a potato salad fiend, so he’ll be happy when I whip this one up.
It is not weird and exactly how I like my Greek salads these days. And I can’t tell you how much I would love to be eating that gorgeous salad right now. Right. NOW!
This is too funny. I seriously never could understand why there was a big glob of potato salad in the middle of the Greek Salad at Publix. Now I know!
What an interesting combo. I have to try it!
I had no idea what to guess for your hometown, and had no idea Tampa had such a thriving Greek population. So cool though! I love Greek salads, I could eat one every week. 🙂
I love a good Greek salad! This is so colorful and delicious
Oh my gosh this explains so much! I go to Zoe’s Kitchen here in NC and they serve their Greek Salad with potato salad as well. I thought this was so strange! Thanks for helping me understand this 🙂 I thought they were crazy! Pinning (your photos are gorgeous)
What an original hometown recipe. Thanks for sharing.
That’s an interesting fact about Greek salad and I love to give this a try. Combining the two makes me feel like vacationing to Florida all over again.
You know I’m loving this. In fact we had Greek salad for dinner last night.
I adore Greek Salad and yours looks amazing!
With Greek salad and potato salad, what’s not to love! Your pictures are so beautiful!
Two great salads combined. Love it!
Next time I am up that way I’m going to look for this on the menu. I love finding foods like this out. Looks like a road trip will be coming up soon.
Two of my favorite salads! Love it!
Thank you for doing the work for me figuring out this salad! My parents just moved to Tampa and my grandparents snow bird there. We just visited a few weeks ago and spent a day in Tarpon Springs. I had the Greek salad at lunch and fell in love! I knew I had to make it once home (I live in WI). I was so happy to find a recipe! Thanks!
Funny I never realized that the potato salad was a Tampa Bay-area thing. I’ve been looking for a good potato salad recipe to use with Greek salad for a long time, and I just now found this post. Thanks! I made it tonight and my Mom and I loved it.