Potato Salad Memories

Potato salads can bring up many memories of Sunday dinners and summer potlucks. Anymore though when I peruse Pinterest I am disappointed to see so many potato salad recipes that seem like they are simply trying to out fancy the recipe above it. I often feel like they don’t add any value to the dish except more work and an assurance that my kids won’t eat it!

My potato salad is exactly what I call it, simple. This does allow for some spicing up or using it as a base for a more intricate salad. This just happens to be an easy salad that everyone will eat and I usually have everything on hand in case I need a dish on short notice.

Tips For a Quality Potato Salad

First of all, I always use red or Yukon potatoes. There is no beating the rich flavor that they add and they stay a little more firm than russets. This is really handy for maintaining the shape of the potatoes while mixing.

Cut the potatoes a little larger than you would think that they need to be. The edges are going to break down a little and you still want them bite size.

When you are done boiling both the potatoes and the eggs drain them immediately and rinse with very cold water. This stops the potatoes from cooking more and becoming mushy and makes the eggs much easier to peel.

When adding the mayonnaise, mustard, and pickle juice, always consider the temperature that day and absorption rates. You may want to adjust accordingly so what you don’t end up with a soggy or dry salad.

For an added touch, sprinkle a little paprika on top of the salad before serving.

Ingredients

5 pounds of red or Yukon potatoes

A dozen eggs

1 ½ cups mayonnaise (light or alternate oil mayonnaise taste great too)

¼ cup yellow mustard

½ cup chopped dill pickles or dill relish

2 tbs Dill Pickle juice

½ tbs sea salt

½ tbs Pepper

½ tbs Garlic Power

½ tbs Paprika (plus a little for garnish)

Dash of chili powder (optional)

Whipping it up

Wash potatoes

Cut into 1-1 ½ inch chunks and put in a large pot.

Cover with water, then bring to a boil and let cook for about 7 minutes. You want a fork to go into a piece of potato easily, but not fall apart. Drain quickly and rinse with ice cold water to stop the cooking process.

While the potatoes are boiling, place eggs carefully in a pot and bring to a boil for 15 minutes. Immediately rinse with cold water to bring the temperature down fast. This makes the eggs much easier to peel.

Put the quartered potatoes in a large mixing bowl.

Peel the eggs and chop into ¼ inch pieces and add to the mixing bowl.

Add in all other ingredients and mix thoroughly.

The salad should look like there is a little too much mayonnaise because the potatoes will absorb some of it while it is cooling. This way you won’t have a dry salad.

Now if putting into a serving dish, do so now. If not, smooth out the top of the salad.

Sprinkle some paprika for garnish

Cover and chill the potato salad in the refrigerator for 2 hours before serving.

Love my serving bowl? So do I!

Check out these bowls from The Pioneer Woman.

Check out my free E-book, Homemade Cost Cutting!

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Another great dish to bring to your potluck is Belle of the BBQ Homemade Baked Beans!