Hi Reader,

Every Fourth, the brisket gets the glory. The ribs get the photos. Someone stands over the grill all afternoon getting clapped on the back like they invented fire.
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And then the meal happens, and what people actually go back for three times is the potato salad.
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I have watched this play out at my own table for years. The main goes fast, sure. But the bowl that scrapes clean, the one someone asks you to text the recipe for on Monday, is almost always a side.
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This year the supporting cast gets top billing: potato salads, a sharp slaw, biscuits good enough to run the oven for, a cold drink to hold while you wait your turn at the coals.

The Cookout Side Rules

• Salt the potatoes while they are warm. A warm potato absorbs dressing and seasoning all the way through; a cold one only takes it on the surface. Dress the salad before it goes in the fridge, not after.
• Build one creamy, one sharp. A mayonnaise-rich salad and a vinegar-bright slaw on the same table cover everyone. Nobody fights over the one bowl.
• Make the sides a day ahead. Slaws and potato salads hold overnight and free the cook on the day. The flavors deepen while you do anything else.
• Give the table a cold drink, not just food. A pitcher of something for the kids and something for the grownups keeps people parked near the food and out of the cooler every ten minutes.
• Send everyone home full and a little jealous. Put the cake and the cold pitcher out where they will be seen. Every side, drink, and dessert for the table is just below.

WHAT'S INSIDE...

• ​French Potato Salad​
• ​Crème Fraîche Potato Salad​
• ​Zucchini Slaw Two Ways​
• ​Buttermilk Onion Rings​
• ​Southern Buttermilk Biscuits​
• ​Bobby Flay’s Barbecue Sauce​
• ​David Leite's Blueberry Lemon Layer Cake​
• ​Strawberry Rhubarb Pie With Ginger Crumb Topping​
• ​Watermelon Lemonade​
• ​Sweet Tea Cocktail​

​French Potato Salad​

This French potato salad with green beans skips the mayo but retains a creamy texture thanks to a tangy Dijon vinaigrette and soft-boiled eggs whose runny yolks spill into the salad to form an unparalleled richness.

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​Crème Fraîche Potato Salad​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 from 10 votes

Solid boiling potatoes are best for this. I prefer to use slightly nutty Charlottes but small potatoes with red skin are also good.

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​Zucchini Slaw Two Ways​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.8 from 10 votes

This zucchini slaw--made with thinly sliced zucchini, summer squash, bell pepper, and scallions--can turn out two ways: one with mayo, another with vinaigrette. You'll never give zucchini away again.

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​Buttermilk Onion Rings​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 from 11 votes

These buttermilk onion rings are briefly soaked in buttermilk and double-dipped in flour before frying to ensure an extra crisp coating and oh so tender onions within. Spectacular alongside burgers. Or simply on their own.

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​Southern Buttermilk Biscuits​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.86 from 34 votes

These Southern buttermilk biscuits are easy as heck to toss together from just three ingredients—self-rising flour, buttermilk, and butter—and turn out flaky and fluffy and just like grandma's. Maybe even better. Here's how to make them.

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​Bobby Flay’s Barbecue Sauce​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.86 from 21 votes

I created this barbecue sauce to top the Wyoming burger, but it's also an ideal dipping sauce for French fries. After you've made this quick and easy sauce once, you'll want to slather it on grilled chicken, steak, pork chops...you might never go back to the bottled stuff.

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​David Leite's Blueberry Lemon Layer Cake​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.71 from 17 votes

This blueberry lemon layer cake, made with triple layers of yellow cake with fresh blueberries, speckled with scads of lemon zest, and enveloped in the perfect lemon cream cheese frosting, is impressive in every way. This cake is a terriffic summer dessert, but it also makes one heck of a birthday and celebration cake also.

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​Strawberry Rhubarb Pie With Ginger Crumb Topping​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 from 20 votes

Use the best, freshest ingredients available to add extra flavor to this twist on the classic strawberry-rhubarb pie.

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​Watermelon Lemonade​

This watermelon lemonade is a refreshing drink made with puréed watermelon, lemon juice, and simple syrup. We can't think of a better remedy for a hot summer afternoon.

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​Sweet Tea Cocktail​

In the South, you can’t have a garden party—or any summer get-together, for that matter—without sweet tea. This is a sweet-tea-based cocktail with a kick of white whiskey.

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