New Orleans probably has more great home cooks per capita than any other city in the country.  The checkout girl at Langenstein’s asked me what I intended to do with my portabella mushrooms and after I told her I was making a sauce for steak, she said she often does an all vegetable ‘crab boil,’ minus the crab, of course.  According to her, mushrooms soak up the spices beautifully and they pair deliciously with boiled corn and potatoes.  Sounds terrific!  A few days later, I was making potato salad, and I remembered that conversation.  I boiled little red potatoes in Old Bay Seasoning, combined them with mayo and mustard, etc., and really it was the best potato salad I’ve ever made.  I can’t stress enough how important it is to take your time and pay attention to every component of every dish you make.  In this potato salad, the potatoes were boiled to the perfect degree of doneness, not overcooked to mush.  A good way to test whether your potatoes are ready is to slice one in half and scrape the flesh with a fork.  You want a potato that holds some shape but has a fluffy interior.  Then: focus on your boiled eggs!  For God’s sake, don’t cook those eggs until they have a green ring around the yolk. That’s the single reason I won’t eat at a certain restaurant around the corner.  If they are willing to serve overcooked boiled eggs on their crabmeat salad, then what the Hell else is going on in that kitchen. If you make the mistake of overcooking your eggs, start over.  I can usually get pale yellow yolks and easily peeled shells by bringing them to a gentle boil, turning off the heat and covering the pot for 10 minutes.  Drain them and run cold water over them immediately to stop the cooking.  Mash the yolks into some mayo before adding that mixture to the salad, then add more mayo to get the consistency you like.  Lastly, don’t be afraid of SALT.  If you are relatively healthy, salt is not going to put you in a coma.  Salt and taste.  Salt and taste.  Taste as you go.  Why would you serve anything to someone you love if you aren’t sure it tastes good?  This deceptively simple potato salad requires attention and care.  Didn’t your mother tell you that anything worth doing is worth doing right?