My potato salad

debodun

debodun

SF VIP
Location
way upstate in New York, USA
I got it in my head that I wanted some potato salad. I must have seen my mom make it hundreds of times. Mine turned out okay, but not like she made. :( I think my mistake was adding a squirt some honey mustard dressing to it. It added a sweetness that I didn't care for. I'll eat it all, though.

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There must by literally 10's of thousands of potato salad recipes.
I make mine as follows.
Simmer Russet potatoes in their jackets until they are just barely done. ( I test with a thin filet knife) Jackets will be slightly cracked a bit.
Remove from water and cool until room temp.
Peel skins.
Cut up into pieces the size of dice.
Add a few splashes of Wish Bone Robusto Italian Dressing.
Let rest for 15 minutes, allowing dressing to be absorbed into the potatoes.
Add chopped celery to suit your taste.
Add some green "salad olives" . If pieces are too big , slice them.
Add a few TBLSP of finely chopped green spring onions.
Sprinkle on some dry yellow mustard.
Spoon on enough Miracle Whip just until well coated. Stirring as you go.
Taste and correct for salt and pepper to suit your taste.
Place in serving bowl, sprinkle on some paprika.
Cover and chill until needed.
The end result is a very yummy, "zippy", potatoe salad
 

I always put a little mustard in mine but not the honey mustard one. And always use Hellman's mayo. I cut my onions and green onions in very small pieces. And I like a sprinkle of paprika on top too. These days I will just add some to my Walmart order as they make several different kinds. Its easier than going to all that trouble from scratch.
 
Deb,

Next time you make potato salad fight the urge to improvise and do it the way your mom did. :giggle:

I still make a little two-potato salad every now and then, so much easier than when I used to make them with five or ten pounds of potatoes with the sweat dripping from my nose.

I peel the potatoes while they are still too hot to handle and give them a splash of apple cider vinegar along with a good shake of salt and black pepper.

I mix chopped hard-boiled eggs with finely chopped celery, green or red bell pepper, and onion with Hellmann's mayonnaise, and then add the hot potatoes.

If I have it I add a dollop of sour cream to the mayonnaise.

The most difficult thing for me is getting the seasoning right when the potato salad is still warm. Potato salad needs a fair amount of salt and it doesn't taste right to me if the salt is added after the salad has been chilled.
 
debodun said:
I got it in my head that I wanted some potato salad. I must have seen my mom make it hundreds of times. Mine turned out okay, but not like she made. :( I think my mistake was adding a squirt some honey mustard dressing to it. It added a sweetness that I didn't care for. I'll eat it all, though.

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A lot of egg salad recopies call for Mustard, but just a very small amount. When I make a one portion quantity of egg salad, it's easy to use way too much, and then it's just overpowering. Basically, I can only use a couple of drops.
 
Yum - I start with Russet potatoes. My secret ingredient is cucumbers, and folks always request that I make it. I also go heavy on the hard-boiled eggs. Add Hellman's mayo, onions, green pepper, celery, (tiny chipped carrots for color), salt and pepper, and garnish with cherry tomatoes. I love it with cold ham. And now, I really need to work on my grocery list!
 
Em in Ohio said:
Yum - I start with Russet potatoes. My secret ingredient is cucumbers, and folks always request that I make it. I also go heavy on the hard-boiled eggs. Add Hellman's mayo, onions, green pepper, celery, (tiny chipped carrots for color), salt and pepper, and garnish with cherry tomatoes. I love it with cold ham. And now, I really need to work on my grocery list!
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I suddenly need ham and potato salad, and it's only 7:00 AM.
 
Em in Ohio said:
Yum - I start with Russet potatoes. My secret ingredient is cucumbers, and folks always request that I make it. I also go heavy on the hard-boiled eggs. Add Hellman's mayo, onions, green pepper, celery, (tiny chipped carrots for color), salt and pepper, and garnish with cherry tomatoes. I love it with cold ham. And now, I really need to work on my grocery list!
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Lee said:
Em, do you put the cukes in slices or maybe mash them up to disguise them so they are the secret ingredient. It sounds good.
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Em, I need to know more about how you use the cucumbers too. English ones, or does it matter?
 
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Em in Ohio said:
Yum - I start with Russet potatoes. My secret ingredient is cucumbers, and folks always request that I make it. I also go heavy on the hard-boiled eggs. Add Hellman's mayo, onions, green pepper, celery, (tiny chipped carrots for color), salt and pepper, and garnish with cherry tomatoes. I love it with cold ham. And now, I really need to work on my grocery list!
Click to expand...

Lee said:
Em, do you put the cukes in slices or maybe mash them up to disguise them so they are the secret ingredient. It sounds good.
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Hi - I cut them into slightly less than half-inch slices, maybe 4-6 pieces per slice, depending on the girth of the cucumber. They add a cool, crisp feel to it - since I go heavy on the eggs, it really does need something to lighten it up.
 
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Jules said:
Em, I need to know more about how you use the cucumbers too. English ones, or does it matters?
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I don't have any idea what an English cucumber is, actually. /-; Our local ones are 6-8" long with a diameter of a couple inches, dark green edible skins (which I peel off), and greenish white insides with lots of seeds, which I leave in. If you wanted to, you could just use the 'meat,' but once it's tossed, you don't really see or sense the seeds.
 
English cucumbers are long, slender and thin skinned with few seeds, usually wrapped in plastic. They grow them in hothouses here in the winter so it’s the basis of my salad.

Thanks, I do understand how you use your cucumbers now and will try this when they’re in season.
 
Potatoes, eggs, celery, onion, radishes, mayo, salt, mustard, paprika on top.

Reading all the recipes I was struck by @senior chef 's use of Miracle Whip. That may be the key difference in several of my mother's recipes and mine. She loved it and I don't think I've ever bought it!
 
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