When I was younger, I wasn’t a huge potato salad fan. I appreciate it more now especially when it’s this creamy, Classic Potato Salad. Note: the Instant Pot Version will be coming.
Classic Potato Salad
This is based on my Mom’s potato salad and I’ve written down the ingredients and amounts our family loves. I hope you’ll do what I do. Let it sit for just a bit then give it a final taste and a final tweak, adding a bit more or this or that as you see fit. I promise I won’t tell Mom!
About Classic Potato Salad:
This classic potato salad is everything! Perfectly cooked potatoes, and hard-boiled eggs (the eggs add a little sumpin’ sumpin’ to the dressing.) A little celery for crunch, onion, and mustard! If you swing that way, add some pickle relish for a bit of sweet. And of course, I have a secret touch or two.
What to Serve Classic Potato Salad With:
Serve your potato salad with fried chicken, anything grilled or barbecued, sandwiches, or maybe like I did as a side for these Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites. I’m not sure which was the star of the show!
Take it on a picnic, or to a potluck or barbecue. Or make it and serve it for dinner and any leftovers can come out for lunch.
Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites
Around the House:
My son, Kraig, and Tweety, his g/f came over to help again with yard work and loved both the Classic Potato Salad and the Chicken Bites! (The least I could do was feed them!)
We tackled my shrub rose, a John Cabot from the Canadian Explorer Series. An awful job. We took it down from the trellis – you can see someone did a real hack job on it, which caused many of the canes to die back to the ground.
A cane rose has to be pruned to the ground or to a bud, or the cane dies back. Dieback can cause rot, disease, or support pests, all of which can damage and possibly kill the plant. Now, to tie it back up!
Never prune more than a third of a bush/plant, and prune when it’s dormant. I pushed it (it’s June, now) because I was only pruning out the dead branches.
My limestone wall has to be replaced; it was old anyway, but chipmunks have destroyed it, along with the grass, and most of my Siberian Iris and lilies. There are burrows everywhere. I’m sure the rabbits and squirrels helped, as plants were dug up and the rhizomes destroyed. Neighbors feeding animals causes so many issues!
Cooking the Potatoes:
But back to potato salad! A few no-effort things help take it next level. Simmer the potatoes in large chunks. (Mom would cook them whole in the jacket and peel them hot, but large chunks are much easier.) It takes a few more minutes to cook, but there is a payoff:
- Large chunks make dicing into bite-sized pieces go fast! They’re easier to cut after they’re cooked.
- The potatoes don’t get gummy, waterlogged, or overcooked like small pieces can.
- Most importantly, the potatoes are more flavorful!
Once cooked, spread the potatoes on a sheet tray until cool enough to handle. After they’re diced, sprinkle them with a little vinegar while still warm, then add salt and pepper. The potatoes will taste great on thier own before being made into the potato salad.
The Dressing:
This will be the creamiest, dreamiest potato salad ever. (Mom always made her mayonnaise, but I just use Hellmann’s.) Mix up the dressing as stated and add it to the potatoes. It can be hard to judge exactly how much the potatoes will absorb, and exactly how much egg yolk is absorbed into the dressing.
Because of that, after mixing, let the potato salad cool in the fridge. When ready to serve, if it seems dry, don’t add extra mayo. Instead, add a little water, about a tablespoon, and gently mix. If necessary, add another, but don’t overdo it.
Note the dressing has two kinds of mustard – this isn’t a typo! They both bring something to the party.
Garnishing:
There are several choices to garnish the potato salad:
- A little paprika is classic.
- Try chives or thinly sliced green onions for some freshness.
- Additional hard-boiled eggs, halved, sliced (don’t go too thin or they will break up), or wedges are always fun and appreciated.
- If you’re a snack while you cook person, don’t snitch the ingredients from the recipe; plan ahead and make a little extra.
Classic Potato Salad
Other Potato Salads:
If ya want to “cheat on” this recipe, check out, in the order shown top left to bottom right: Loaded Baked Potato Salad, made in the Instant Pot or Not, too. My German Potato Salad, a classic and a family recipe. White & Sweet Potato Salad (it has a chutney dressing) is unusual. Bacon Ranch Potato Salad – need I say more? Yukon Gold Potato Salad is Mediterranean-leaning with olive oil and herbs. Then there is my over-the-top Deviled Egg Potato Salad. Yum!
Saving Money on Classic Potato Salad:
Potatoes:
- These are usually cheapest in a large bag and in season (late summer through fall). Always compare the price per pound; smaller bags on sale might be less. Check the discount stores like Aldi or Lidl.
- Store potatoes in a dark, cool, dry area, well-ventilated and away from onions. If they are in plastic, remove them; a plain old paper grocery bag with the top folded over isn’t elegant, but it is ideal.
Condiments:
- Buy condiments in the summer when the prices are at their lowest, and check out sales before holidays and the Super Bowl. Links for holiday sales are in my post Win at the Grocer’s.
Eggs:
- For a dozen, buy at the discount grocery; buyer’s clubs have great pricing, but usually they’re only available in larger quantities.
Classic Potato Salad
Classic Potato Salad
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes plus chill
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings 1x
- Category: Side
- Cuisine: German
Ingredients
- 2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into large 3 to 4″ chunks
- 1 teaspoon salt for the water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider or white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt for potatoes
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper for potatoes
- 4 eggs, plus more for garnish
- 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sweet pickle relish (or 2 teaspoons sugar)
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard powder
- 1 tablespoon ballpark mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 stalks celery, finely diced
- 1/4 red onion, finely diced
- 1 or 2 tablespoons water, as needed
- for garnish: paprika, sliced or quartered hard-boiled egg, chives or thinly sliced green onion
Instructions
Add potatoes to a large pot, add a teaspoon of salt, and cover by about three inches with cold water. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are tender about 20 to 25 minutes.
Add eggs during the last ten minutes of the cooking process; remove them and plunge into ice water when finished. Watch the eggs, just in case the ten minutes pass before the potatoes are tender.
Drain potatoes and spread on a large sheet tray to cool. When cool enough to handle, but still warm, dice into bite-sized pieces, sprinkle with vinegar, then salt and pepper. Place in refrigerator to continue to cool.
In the meantime, make the dressing. Combine the mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish or sugar, dry mustard powder, ballpark mustard, celery seed, and salt and pepper.
Peel and chop the hard-boiled egg into bite-sized pieces.
Once the potatoes are cool, add them to a large bowl. Add the hard-boiled eggs, celery, onion, and dressing. Using a large spoon or spatula, mix to combine. The salad is best if some of the egg yolks deteriorate and get mixed into the dressing.
If the salad seems dry, add in water by the tablespoon and mix after each. Do not add too much water; add just enough to make it creamy! Chill, and once cold, taste and adjust flavorings, adding more mustard, relish, salt, pepper, etc., if needed.
Garnish as desired.
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I’ll be linking Classic Potato Salad to Fiesta Friday # 281 this week. Stop by and check out the party!
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