Perfect Side Dishes for Your Fourth of July Barbecue
No July 4th barbecue would be complete without some delectable side dishes. In this guide you will find quick and easy recipes for sinfully delicious deviled eggs, scrumptious deli-style macaroni salad, old-fashioned potato salad, and refreshing red and green slaw. Ready to make your barbecue one people won’t soon forget? Let’s get cooking!
’Dem Devil Eggs
- Serving size: 1 deviled egg
- Prep time: 25 minutes
- Cook time: 15 minutes
- 6 large eggs
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- ⅛ tsp. ground cayenne
- Salt
- Fresh-ground black pepper
- Sweet paprika
- In a 3-quart heavy saucepan, cover eggs with cold water by 1 ½ inches. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, partially covered. Reduce heat to low, and simmer eggs, covered completely, for 30 seconds. Remove the saucepan from heat, and let it stand, covered, 15 minutes. Transfer eggs with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop the cooking, and let stand 5 minutes.
- Peel eggs and halve lengthwise. Carefully remove yolks and mash in a bowl with a fork. Add mayonnaise, mustard, and cayenne, and stir with a fork until smooth. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Using a spoon, mound yolk mixture into whites, smoothing with the back of the spoon. Dust eggs with paprika, cover, and refrigerate until needed.
Red and Green Slaw
- Serving size: ½ cup
- Prep time: 25 minutes, plus 1 hour to refrigerate
- 1 small head (about 1 ½ lb.) green cabbage
- ¼ head (about 6 oz.) red cabbage
- Ice water
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 4 TB fresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. fresh-ground black pepper
- 4 ribs celery, finely chopped
- 6 green onions, finely chopped, with some of green tops
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and shredded
- Shred green and red cabbages into a large mixing bowl, and cover with ice water. Chill 1 hour. Drain thoroughly. (Or spin dry in a salad spinner.)
- In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and pepper until combined. Add cabbages, celery, onion, and carrot to the bowl. Using a large rubber spatula, stir and fold until vegetables are coated with dressing. Refrigerate, covered, 1 hour before serving.
Old-Fashioned Classic Potato Salad
- Serving size: ½ cup
- Prep time: about 60 minutes
- Cook time: 20 to 30 minutes
- 4 lb. (equal-size) Yukon Gold potatoes
- ¼ cup plus 2 TB cider vinegar
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 ½ cups chopped celery (from 4 medium stalks)
- 1 cup chopped white onion (from 1 large onion)
- 4 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- In a 3-quart saucepan, cover potatoes with salted cold water by 2 inches and simmer, uncovered, until just tender, about 15 to 25 minutes, depending on size of potatoes, or until easily pierced by a fork. Drain in a colander, and cool until they can be comfortably handled.
- While potatoes cool, whisk together vinegar and salt in a large bowl just until salt is dissolved.
- When potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel and cut them into 1-inch pieces, and add them to the vinegar mixture as you cut them. toss gently with a rubber spatula to combine. Let potatoes cool to room temperature and then add celery, onion, hard-boiled eggs, and mayonnaise, and stir gently to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Delicatessen-Style Macaroni Salad
- Serving size: ½ cup
- Prep time: 40 minutes (includes hard boiling and chilling eggs)
- Cook time: 5 to 7 minutes
- 8 oz. dry macaroni
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 3 TB sweet pickle relish
- 3 TB finely chopped sweet onion
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 cup fresh or frozen and thawed baby peas
- 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
- ½ cup thinly sliced celery
- ¼ cup finely chopped green bell pepper
- Cook macaroni according to the package directions. Drain well, rinse, and cool.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, pickle relish, onion, and salt until combined. Add baby peas, hard-boiled eggs, celery, bell pepper, and cooled macaroni. With a large rubber spatula, stir and fold until vegetables are coated with dressing. Chill well before serving.
With these delicious side dishes, your barbecue is sure to be a success. Enjoy, and happy Fourth of July!
From The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Grilling by Don Mauer
