Lake Lure North Carolina - The Hunt's Potato Salad

There is no where in the world more special to our families than Lake Lure.

Lake Lure was built in the late 1920s in Rutherford County, North Carolina to generate power and for recreation. Small cottages were built around the lake and the majority of the recreation was fishing. The Lake has had many ups and downs since then. Today some of the fishing cottages are disappearing and being replaced with huge houses. The recreation still includes fishing, but also canoeing, kayaking, skiiing and pontoon rides. Jet Skis are not allowed on Lake Lure and I see that as a plus. Several movies have scenes on and around the Lake including The Last of the Mohicans, Firestarter and Dirty Dancing. The Town of Lake Lure has pontoon tour boats that take folks around the Lake to hear the history and enjoy the beautiful scenery. For years, visitors to the Lake told me that the old, rounded mountains and the homes and boathouses that surround the Lake looked alot like Switzerland. Last year, after a pontoon trip around Lake Lucerne in Switzerland, I could see the similarity.

Both sides of our families have long histories at The Lake. Any trip to The Lake starts out with excitement and anticipation of who will be there and what are we going to eat?

My grandfather, R. L. Hunt, loved Lake Lure and had a fishing cottage there. Carl Martin, my father's best friend since elementary school, tells a story about visiting the Lake with my father and grandfather. Most of Carl's stories are theatrical and hysterical. He loves to tell them and we love to hear whatever version he's telling. The jist of this story was that Carl and Daddy were grown men and were 'up at the Lake' to go fishing with PawPaw. PawPaw and Daddy did not drink 'libations' in front of each other. So Daddy might say, "Carl let's go down to the dock and have a libation". Later, PawPaw might do the same. If you have seen Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire you get the picture. Carl can make this story short or long, but it is always funny to watch him tell it.

In the 1950s, my parents bought several cottages and a restaurant called The Log Shop. They rented the cottages most of the year, but also took friends up to the Lake for house parties. Sometimes they would take their guests to the Log Shop for breakfast of country ham, grits, eggs, biscuits or for a steak dinner. But mostly Mama would cook. She did this with five small children. Betty Harris reminds me every time I see her, that she rode with Mama to The Lake once. At that time, there was one way to The Lake - about a one hour ride on a curving winding 2 lane mountain road. My sisters were ages 7, 5, 4, and 2. I was a baby and Betty says she held me in her arms while I cried the whole way to the Lake! No wonder she only did that once.

Mama is the most organized hostess you will ever see. She knows how to entertain and make it look effortless. She planned her menus so that she could actually accomplish a trip that men, women and children could enjoy. I am guessing she was beautiful and smiling while she pulled off this magic.

Her menu was picnic style - shrimp, ham, fried chicken, potato salad, green beans, deviled eggs, pimiento cheese sandwiches and chocolate cake. She would prepare everything ahead of time and when she arrived at the Lake she would just put it out buffet style and "let people eat when they wanted to".

I learned to water ski at Lake Lure when I was nine years old. We were visiting at the Hamrick's cottage and Daddy's friend, Carl, had pulled skiers all day long. Carl was ready to put the boat in the boathouse, but I begged him to let me try. I remember he looked at me and said, "I'll let you try one time, but if you don't get up, we are coming in." I knew he meant that and somehow I managed to get up the first try.

Later on in the 60s, I learned to slalom when we were skiing at Bald Mountain resort (now Rumbling Bald). I never enjoyed the slalom as much as two skiis. I think it's because when I was learning to slalom, I fell into a patch of lily pads and started imagining all the creepy things that might be living under there. It seemed like hours before the boat circled around to get me out of the lily pads. Bald Mountain resort is also the first place I ever tasted an ice cream sundae. It was in a tall parfait glass and had vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry on top. I guess I remember it because it settled my nerves after the scary lily pad incident.

In the late 1950s, David's father "D" bought a lot on The Island. There is a small island in the middle of Lake Lure called Yacht Island. I'm told it was originally called Snake Island and the story goes that they released pigs on the island to get rid of the snakes. I seldom see snakes there anymore, so if it's true, it must have worked.

There was no bridge to the island, so "D" built one. That's just how "D" was. They have since replaced the original bridge, but there is a picture of the old bridge at the house. They built a house on the island and it has one of the most spectacular views on the lake. Every trip to "D"s house also included lots of menu planning and gigantic meals. Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, BLTs, Steaks and Ribs were on the menu and huge quantities of everything. There is a big boathouse with a high deck and railing that everyone loves to jump off. Various boats over the years have pulled alot of people skiing and tubing all over the lake. Several years ago another deck was built at the house where we eat crab legs and ribs and watch the amazing sunsets. Dancing parties have been known to break out there.

On the way to the island, is a cove that years ago was called "Shelby Cove" because so many people from our area owned houses there. There are still alot of "Shelby people" in the cove including a cottage that my sister, Cindy and her husband, David own. With alot of musicians in the circle of family and friends, the Martin's deck is home to alot of music and singing.

So, there are years and years of memories filled with food, fun, family and friends at Lake Lure.

The Hunt's Potato Salad for 50 People
Note: I have three written recipes for Potato Salad and all are varied amounts so adjust it to how you like it.

Scrub 17 white potatoes, cook in several pots in uniform sizes so they cook right (they aren't good if the insides aren't done)
Cook potatoes 20 minutes unsalted. Peel and cube uniformly.

About 2 cups of celery
Pull silks off and cut fairly small and uniformly

3 large onions (or 3 cups - which mama thinks is too much but daddy doesn't)
chop onions uniformly
1 cup or more of sweet salad cube pickles
17 eggs - Cook 10 minutes, then let them sit in hot water 10 minutes, then chill
Use 5 whites and all of the yolks, finely mashed

2 cups mayo or so (*there is a Dukes vs Hellmans controversy. Decide for yourself.)
3 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper

Cook potatoes, eggs. Cube potatoes. Finely mash eggs. Chop everything else. Add together and mix it without making it all too mushy. Add a little extra pepper and puerto rico (paprika) and garnish with fresh parsley.