This Southern Side Dish Will Be a Major Hit At Your Next Family Gathering!
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Potato Salad Made Easy And Done Just Right
I have more than a few fond memories of eating Mother’s homemade potato salad with a nice plate of barbecued baby back ribs and baked beans. Though I have come across many varieties of potato salad in my time, yet for that comforting, at-home flavor, I find myself drifting back to the classic Southern version of it that Mother made so well. Though she had to allow for time for the flavors in the salad to settle after making it, I always loved her version far better than the usual store-bought options (which often made use of far too much mustard relative to the other ingredients).
This recipe captures the spirit of what she made from memory so well, I think. This Classic Southern Potato Salad is just the right sort of side for your family barbecue or for a much larger cookout or tailgate. It has a great flavor and isn’t too difficult to make, either.
Recipe courtesy of Dawna Riedle’s post on Food.com’s Southern page
USE THE RED NEXT PAGE LINK BELOW FOR THE RECIPE AND INGREDIENTS.
Quick Tip: Make sure you don’t overcook your potatoes as you want them to be somewhat firm.
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155 Comments
Do you cover your bowl with saran wrap when you put in the refrigerator? When I do it for overnight, I get a lot of water in the potato salad
That is because you have not let the potatoes and eggs cool enough. Anytime you wrap something warm in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge, it will sweat.
Not so. I have the same problem as Bill and I let my potatoes and eggs refrigerate over night before I put the salad together and I still get watery potato salad when leftovers are covered with Saran Wrap.
Wait till it’s completely cooked before wrapping with saran wrap
put a couple of paper towels directly over the salad then put saran wrap, yyou will notice it will absorb the water 🙂
Maybe you have used Light of fat free salad dressing.
Only when I add onions in any kind of salad and put it in the fridge it tends to get watery, no matter what I cover it wit. So,I’d have to say it’s the onions.
Bill,onions make the potatoe salad have some water form.
A little trick to remember when potato salad turns watery or the dressing is runny……Stir in a little instant potato flakes…..Stiffens it up instantly and won’t change the taste….
When I make potato salad I put it in a Large tuperware bowl with airtight lid. Other containers will work with a lid. Its moisture from the fridge and suran wrap will sweat.
Use Russett Potatos It’s Will Keep It From Being Watery
The wet you see is condensation because the salad was still warm when you covered it and put it in the refrigerator. Even if it’s a little bit warm that will happen. Just carefully take it off.
Do you use sweet pickles or dill pickles???
Dill relish
You can use either one you
Want, it’s good both ways.
Vlasic sweet gherkins with a little of the juice added! My family has always used Miracle Whip instead of mayo. I also make a red skin potato salad with dill pickles, real mayo, and green onions for a change up! My dill potato salad may or may not have eggs!
Note: I tried relish and the flavor is not as good.?
I use my homemade sweet pickles.
I’ve never used onion in potato salad. Here’s my recipe: 10 lb. waxy potatoes, 5 or 6 stalks celery chopped small, chopped green olives to taste, 2 or 3 tsp.olive juice, white pepper, 8 hard boiled eggs, 1 jar Hellman’s mayo.
Cook potatoes whole with skins on, just until barely tender. Drain well. When cool enough to handle, put potatoes back in pot,cover the pot with lid and refrigerate overnight. Next day, peel potatoes(or you can leave the skins on if you want)and chop small. Add olive juice and stir lightly. Chop celery into small dice. Chop olives and pimento stuffing. Chop eggs. You can mash a couple of yolks and this will give the salad a little yellow color. Mix all together and add mayo and pepper. Sprinkle the top with paprika if desired. This salad is delicious! Sometimes for variety, I add a tsp. or 2 of dry ranch dressing mix to the mayonnaise. Everything else is the same. This is also an excellent salad!
Ymy mom was from Arkansas. She never put any kind of pickles in her potato salad. And she p diced celery in other plus a little celery seeds. I use dried minced onions since my family never liked to taste a feel onions. With dried, you can get the taste but not the pieces of onions. A covered plastic bowl is better.
Never would have thought to use pickles until seeing this. Tried it and loved it! Always used vinegar in it and I can see the similarity, but pickles made the salad. Also add some garlic.
This is how I make mine. And my Granny made it like this also.
I make mine almost like this I substitute sweet pickle relish for the pickles and add a jar of sliced/diced pimentos for a hint of color..Yummy now I need some
I no longer use pimentos, though they are good. I chop red bell pepper (along with green bell pepper) for color. The red bell pepper gives a hint of crunchiness and sweetness without adding sugar. I also throw in a little crushed red pepper for flavor (just a little) And, of course Hellman’s mayo. The other mayo’s are OK but Hellman’s is the best for flavor.
what kind of picles? Dill or sweet
I have always used sweet salad cubes, but one Christmas an uncle made his potato salad w/dill cubes and it was very good. I would say it’s your choice and you may want to try both to see which you like best!
scroll up!
I always cut up my potatoes like you. Makes them easy to prepare,
My mom made the best potato salad….she didn’t cube the potatoes but rather held the potato in her hand and randomly cut pieces…I remember her telling me to do it that way….:)
It’s easier and more nutritious.
Which type of pickles do you use, dill or sweet?
Love this recipes. It is the way I have made potato salad for 50 years.
Wouldn’t the potatoes turn into mashed potatoes if you boil the little cubes before mixing everything altogether? My mother always boiled her potatoes whole….with their jackets on….and put them in the fridge to cool before cubing and mixing them with everything.I’ve made mine the same way for 50 years.
I have always cubed mine, never had mashed potatoes.
I alwats do, too. Cuts down prep time and ty are always just right. I use sweet pickle relish. I also combine the drained cooked potatoes w/ the relish, onion, and a little italian dressing. Adds flavor to potatoes and you need less mayo.
I also boil mine whole … with their jackets on … always have … because that’s the way my mother did it …
I’ve made it both ways: peel potatoes then boil and potatoes boiled in thier skins. Both ways taste good but potatoes boiled in their skins gve a fresher taste. None of the potato flavor is lost. Will try refrigerating them overnight, that was a good hint. More of the potato flavor would meld.
Cubed potatoes would only get mushy if you let them cook too long. I only peel and cube them, raw, if I’m in a big hurry. Otherwise, I cook them whole, unpeeled, rinse them with cold water, to get them to cool and loosen the skins. It varies, too, depending on what kind of potatoes you are using. If I have red, new potatoes, I leave part of the skin on. In the part of Germany we lived in, Kartoffelsalat, was sliced red potatoes with part of the skin on, with a creamy dressing poured over it right before serving. It had cream, a little vinegar, sugar and often dill or fresh parsley.
Yes! Need to cook potatoes with skin on, cool,completely in fridge, then peel, cube and mix with other ingredients. Potatoes get too watery if peeled before cooking, and you need cold potatoes to mix in other ingredients or you end up with mush!
I agree…cook potatoes in jackets, let them cool, remove skin, and then dice. Works best for me. I do have an opinion question: What is the best potatoe to use?
I think the red potatoes are the best.
I love love love the Yukon gold potato. It’s sturdy and flavorful! Since the first time, I’ve never used any other potato!
My Favorite Potato!
Yes Marilyn Jackson, I always cook the potatoes in their jackets and let them cool, I have used red and also idaho’s, I like the red potatoes the best, I think there is a difference in the potato salad when you boil them in their jackets, I guess I do it like that cause my Mom always did.
Me, too. The skin peels off easily once cooled, plus I leave a little bit of skin for color as I use red potatoes. I like the random chunk size of the potatoes. It makes it obvious that it’s homemade.
WAAAAY too much mayo! You only need enough to make it creamy. I usually use 1/2 cup mayo and maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup plain yogurt. Just for the creaminess. We always use celery, too.
Totally agree.
I agree as well; 2 cups of mayo is excessive!
I love that there is no sugar in the recipe. While I adore sugar, I do not want it in my potato salad. Thank you for this recipe.
I learned to make potato salad from my mother-in-law. She cooked her potatoes and eggs the day before and refrigerated them overnight. The potatoes peel quite easily cold, and the eggs chop up better. I chop the eggs with a pastry blender. Works great! When you incorporate the salad dressing, it does not soak into the cold potatoes and eggs as it would when they are hot. Our family and friends love potato salad made this way.
Carol, that sounds like the right way to do it….I know the warm potatoes will soak up the mayo and then you wind up putting more in, which means more calories. If I have sour cream on hand, I usually mix some into the mayo. I don’t use any relish but do use chopped celery….my Polish relatives made it the BEST!!
I think we had the same mother ??? exactly how I’ve always made mine and still love it that way. I will sometimes add black olives because I love them!
What type of pickles do you use. Bread & Butter, or dill?
I use dill pickles, chopped in mine
This is just like I make Potato Salad.
Looks so good. Potato salad reminds me of Summer! 🙂
Mine’s better.
Love potato salad. For a bit of extra flavor, my mom always sprinkled drained, still hot potatoes with a sprinkling of apple cider vinegar. Let stand while you prepare the other ingredients The potatoes will absorb all liquid and give just a hint of extra flavor, then mix all together. This is from an old time recipe and is surprisingly good.
Never would have thought to do that! I’ll try it next time.
Interesting, think I will try that.
Instead of apple cider vinegar I use juice from pickles…it has the vinegar and adds great flavor
Yep, the vinegar adds lots of flavor. Or pickle juice, which is mostly vinegar. Add to the warm potatoes and then let them cool.
My mother also sprinkled cider vinegar, as do I A little zest.
Yes! I’ve got to have that vinegar soaked into the hot potatoes. It makes all the difference in the world in taste.
This is my Mother’s recipe except no mustard . We all love this and now that she can’t make this anymore we all have tried . We even use the same bowl she used but it never taste as goo as Mom could make it !
That’s my Mother’s recipe with one exception. She added about 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. I have so many compliments on her recipe.
What kind of pickle…dill or sweet?
My sister uses dill,but I have used the sweet and the dill pickles.I have to say,I like the dill better.I also use more eggs than this recipe.I think lots of eggs give it extra flavor.I also use Hellmans mayo.
I use more eggs too. My rule of thumb: one egg for each potato.
where is the recipe
What kind of pickle?
Does anyone here bother to scroll and read the comments? LOL “what kind of pickle” has been addressed more than a dozen times.
Exactly how I make it with one exception, I add a little bit of the dill pickle juice. This is the recipe my mom and grandmother used as well. Any time we have a get together everyone always asks me to make potato salad!! 🙂 I follow the same for macaroni salad too with the same results. Key thing, let it set over night.
My Mom made her’s the same way. Always good. I use spicy brown mustard and Kosher dill pickles. My sister uses Bread & Butter pickles. Whatever, it is delicious.
you don’t mention what kind of potatoes you use (can make a big difference in flavor) and also you don’t say what kind of pickle you use please let me know
This is my Mother’s recipe as well as my Grandmas. Only I add a little of the pickle juice in and either fine chopped celery or celery salt. and dont forget the paparika sprinkle on top.
This is the only way I prepare my potato salad and have been for many years.
I mix a little dill,pickle juice with my mayo and it gives the salad a great boost in flavor.
What kind of pickles do you use????
do you have to cool the potatoes before adding the other ingredients?
I always cool the potatoes. If you mix in other ingredients while potatoes are warm, you will end up with MASHED potato salad.
the ingredients are the same as my 85 year old mother’s recipe (who is famous for hers) but quantities are a little different, less mayo (she also added chopped celery and some of the juice from her own canned sweet pickles). Mom added only a very small amount of yellow mustard but she did always use turmeric which gave it the yellow color. we loved to eat it warm but also delicious cold the next day 🙂
The same recipe I use but instead of pickles I use chopped green peppers. Think it give it a better taste and everyone seems to like it better that way.
I use finely minced green peppers and green olives. I add celery seed while mixing. Yum!
My ingredients are slightly different. I use diced potatoes, eggs which I dice in egg slicer, diced green pepper, diced onions, salt, paprika (for color)and good quality mayo.Yum, Yum!
Try adding some diced red bell pepper too. Beautiful color & a hint of sweetness. If you are daring, toss in a little crushed red pepper for a hint of spice. (Just a little)
Sounds like a lot of mayo! Gotta have DUKES though 😉 and I love my tater salad best warm.
If you are using Dukes mayo you must be from the south, lol. My cousin in SC uses Dukes all the time, I use Hellmans, they don’t sell Dukes in Jersey where I’m from.
Must be Kraft Mayonnaise as I like the tart lemon flavor! And my Dad worked for Kraft for 35 years!
My grandmother made it with the same ingredients.. but she would mix the hard-boiled yolks, mustard and mayo together and then add it to the potatoes. It comes out really creamy this way.
I make mine the same way with dill picles, nut I add a splash of pickle juice to mayo mustard mixture and whisk then pour over potaoes with finely diced celery and onion
I always use chopped onion, but I’m going to try this one. It will not spoil fast either, without the onion. Thanks
Sounds like way too much onion.
Perfect recipe, just how I learned to make it years ago. ? ?
I use sweet peppers in mine, also diced tomatoes. These add flavor and the sweet peppers are not as thick as bell peppers. It never lasts long.
I use Celery Salt instead of celery. The fresh celery to me has too much of a distinct flavor that I’d rather not have in my recipe.
I cut my potatoes in small cubes before cooking – – cooks faster and favors then blend better with other ingredients
I chop eggs very fine using a pastry blender ( or fork). Again, favors blend better.
I use dry mustard – gives more flavor. I use sweet pickle relish..
Use some extra pickle juice and you will need less mayo.
Sprinkle with paprika on top.
Same recipe I have been using for a very long time, however I use pickle relish and not so much onion. Still a very good potato salad…
Everyone has good advice on tweaking recipe to your own taste. My mother always cooled the potatoes then marinated them in a little Italian dressing so that is how I make mine. Sound like the ones with Apple cider vinegar and pickle juice but we like it made with our favorite Italian dressing. Then mix in only Hellmans Mayo. I always get compliments on mine.
I make mine with mayo, mustard, sour cream, pickle juice, sugar, a bit of vinegar (apple cider), celery seeds, diced egg, celery and of course, potatoes that have been diced and boiled till just at fork tender. I use RED potatoes and leave the skins on them. I mix all the ingredients when they are warm. After it cools I cover it and refrigerate.
I forgot… a bit of onion also.
Try using horseradish mustard for better flavor.
I also use celery in mine and a little dill pickle juice along with chopped dill pickles gives it some extra flavor.
I peel and cut mine up fairly small and boil them for 10 minutes, pour through a colander and run cold water over them so they don’t get too soft. Refrigerate over night before mixing. My Mom taught me and I miss her every time I stand at the sink peeling those potatoes. I also add salad green olives and sometimes celery.
I use red potatos- you don’t have to peel them -it adds color. It also doesn’t have to cook as long – add a bit of chives adds color and is flavorful- also add some ranch dressing to use less mayo and it also adds flavor. Adding what you like makes it Your recipe, it does in my home.
No one has answered what kind of potatoes to use. This is one the only things that I have never made. This recipe sounds good.
I’ve asked the same question. I also misspelled potato by adding an “e.” Oops, I know better. ?
I love the fact that the majority of you loved the way your moms made it the best. I am sure that it is the taste combined with your memories that cause it to taste just right. My mother just used basics: peeled potatoes boiled and then cubed, a small amount of diced onion, hard boiled eggs. She then mixed it all with Miracle Whip which was cut with some whole milk. I expect that this was done to make the miracle whip go farther. Then salted and mixed. Always our whole family’s preference. Now that I am fast approaching my seventies, I am no longer comfortable with a pot of hot water, so I “bake” my potatoes in the microwave, peel, chop, and mix while hot just the way she did. A new trick I learned from the cooking shows: use a wire cookie cooler rack over a large bowl to push peeled warm hard boiled eggs through. It works like a charm! Continue to enjoy your own potato salads best, love and memories are the important things in life!!
I get Rave Reviews on my Big Mamas Potato salad.She would be well over 100 now. Before you faint it was way before eating Healthy.
Eyeball everything and measure nothing.
I have used every type of white potato but prefer gold one.Peel chop and boil potatoes, I hand cut different sized cubes. Drain them and add half stick of butter, hand chopped eggs,chopped onions, chopped sweet pickle and I have
used relish. I add sugar and cider vinegsr. Small squirt of mustard and mayonnaise to the consistency you want.
Because you’ve made this warm, the smaller chop mashes and the larger ones are solid.
I serve it warm. Add some pickle juice if needed. It’s still good cold the next day.
I know this wouldn’t be to everyone’s liking but people who have tried it love it.
I am from the South.
this recipe sounds good, i think ill try it, but i have been making mine the same way for 55 yrs, everybody wants me to bring potato salad, i peel cube and boil red skin potatoes, drain set aside and cool, i never put mayo in hot potatoes, i use about cup mayo, i use dukes, 1 chopped onion, 2 boiled eggs, chopped, s&p to taste, and 2 tsps vinegar,and 2 tsp yellow mustard, then i divide it in half and put pickles in one half and leave the other, cause some of my family dont like pickles, but i mix it and its never mushy, cause i let potatoes cool first before adding ingredients, i had one lady likes it and wants me to make it for her restaurant.but i dont like doing that.
I use half mayo and half sour cream along with chopped celery also. No pickle.
Lots of great ideas. My hubby loves mustard potato salad. I only use Dukes Mayonnaise as it has no sugar in it. I add mayo a little at at time to get a nice consistency, not runny! And while I love dill pickle I have used Bread & Butter pickles chopped and it is a wonderful change! Love to eat warm first and cold the next day! I have never heard of anyone adding sugar to potato salad….very strange but some love their sweets.
I use a very similar recipe but I squirt a little lemon juice in it, just to brighten the flavors. My grandfather made the best potato salad ever. I’ve tried to copy his but it’s never turned out quite as good as his. He used sour (different than dill) pickles, but I haven’t been able to find sour pickles, so I use sweet salad cubes. Also, after boiling the potatoes and draining, I add everything except the mayo and mustard to it, just dumping them on top of the potatoes, and put in the fridge to chill. Once chilled, I add the mayo and mustard and mix everything together. I find the potatoes hold their shape better and I don’t end up with “smashed” potato salad.
There are small egg slicers on the market. Simply put egg in, pull down lever, and eggs are sliced. Turn egg the other way, and slice again. So easy. I always use celery in my salad also. Just a bit.
Ill match my Potato salad with any ones my Grand mother grew up working in a log camp and she shoed me how to make it.
Do mine the same, with the exception of adding a bit of
milk to the mayo mixture. (Hellmans only)Blend well. I shake mine to get it well blened. Creamy and yummy!
My recipe is pretty much the same as the other posts but I always use Miracle Whip.
love it with miracle whip and spicey vlasic pickles and of course pickle juice 🙂
My husband prefers Baked potatoes for his potato salad. Bake them with skin on, cool completely then peel and cube. Very tasty.
I as well posted that I BAKE my potatoes, you are correct and I agree, very tasty!
I use Potatoes , hard boiled eggs, onion, celery seed and celery chopped up. Mayonnaise and a touch of regular mustard enough to give it the yellow coloring. After potatoes are cooked I soak them in cold water before adding the additional ingredients .
Then slice a couple eggs for garnish then sprinkle with paprika for decoration.
Everyone loves it.
Add 1 cup of Chopped Celery, and 4 ot 5 Tablespoons finelely chopped parsley, to this recipe.
I love to taste others potato salad but like mine the best.I cook whole and peel when cooled, one boiled egg for each potato. I fine chop celery, red and green bell pepper. No onions. I add sweet pickle relish and a little dill pickle juice. I mix mayo, miracle whip and enough yellow mustard to make it a creamy and light, barely yellow color. Salt and pepper. Refried overnight.
Wow 2 onions is a LOT. I love onion but not so much and it must be very finely diced. I’ve also found using baked potatoes works very well and I don’t feel guilty about wasting water.
I am a 70+ mississippi girl and my Grandmother fixed hers that way. I cut up dill pickles and even add just a little juice. If you cube your potato s in different sizes and don’t over cook them you will not have mashed potatoes but they will be e a little creamy.
I use dill relish. I also microwave potatoes and fridge them till cold before I cut them.
Use “Sweet Salad Cube” pickles…and a little sugar. Taste a lot better!!!
I kinda do the same but not that much mayo and I add pickle juice and black olives, no onions I hate them lol
I add a large tablespoon of sour cream and cut back that much on the mayo.
My mothers always added fresh dill from the garden, have never been able to make potato salad like hers
I have used my mother in laws recipe for 42 years. Boil the potatoes, let cool and cube them. Use 1/4 cup of Italian dressing and pour over the potatoes and refrigerate over night. Add the rest of the ingredients. Very good.
I use dill pickles AND sweet pickle relish in mine. A little mustard, black olives, red bell pepper, celery, and a bit of fresh dill. I also use potatoes and boiled eggs 1:1. I haven’t seen anyone mention sprinkling the top with paprika. That’s mandatory imo. And a sprig of fresh dill for garnish.
I prefer scallions to onions, and I add finely chopped radishes and celery, and celery seed. I use ‘Dukes” Mayo, and mix the mayo and mustard and seasoning first
Peel & diced potatoes BEFORE cooking; I add the eggs right to the pot with the potatoes while they’re cooking. Killing two birds with one stone. Drain; put the eggs in cold water to chill while I add the rest of the ingredients, which I mix up in the same pot I cooked the potatoes in. Add Mayo, yellow mustard, chopped onion, chopped celery INCLUDING the celery leaves (best part of the celery), sweet pickle relish, salt and a sprinkle of celery seed. ADDED WHILE THE POTATOES ARE STILL WARM so it gets absorbed by the potatoes. Peel & dice the boiled eggs and mix it in. I don’t add sugar, it’s unnecessary; I do add some of the juice from the pickle relish to give it the added sweetness. Simple and delicious.
Recipes should dive amounts not medium or large. Large in one store maybe a medium in a different part of the country. You states 1 cup chopped Vlasic pickle. What type Of pickles are used in the original. Sweet or dill?
I think all that have a problem with watery potato salad is the way the potatoes are boiled! Start early and boil the potatoes in their skins! Let them cool and then peal and dice! If you do peal and cut them, then boil, the best thing is to drain off the hot water, and put back on the stove and let them sit on the hot burner (turned off) for about 10-15 minutes. This lets the rest of the water evaporate out of the potatoes! But boiling in their skins is the best way! I’ve never had watery potato salad, ever!
I find the easiest way to cook the potatoes is to use the steamer. Peal and cut potatoes into chunks. Let stand to drain in the steamer then mix the ingredients I use Sweet Pickle Relish which is my families’ favorite. And I mix all the ingredients while potatoes are still warm. The flavor seems to absorb into the potatoes better. My family prefers slightly warm salad.
Except for potatoes, stir everything together, THEN blend into the potatoes.
I dice radishes and add to my potato salad.
Slight variation. Never pickles or mustard in mine. Red potatoes, red onion (for color), celery, hard boiled eggs, Hellman’s (Best Foods w/of the Mississippi) mayo, pepper and–important–onion salt (not regular salt). I use enough mayo to coat everything but not be too gooey. I usually assemble day of the event in plenty of time to cool it. So many folks like it that it ends up going home with people so we rarely have leftovers to find out if it gets watery overnight.
Wonderful recipe. How much salad does this recipe make?
Well everyone has their version of how to make potato salad and it’s usually based on what Mom or Grandma did. Here’s the way my Mom did it and how I do it now: Boil the potatoes in their skins, let them cool and then peel. Make sure you don’t cook them too long. Cut most of the potatoes into small chunks and grate some of them with a cheese grater. Same with the hard boiled eggs – cut most of them up into chunks and grate the rest. Add chopped dill pickles, pickle juice, plenty of chopped onion, salt and pepper, celery salt and dill. Then add mostly mayo and some mustard.
Boiling the potatoes in their “jackets” and then waiting until they are cool to scrape off the skins adds a lot of flavor to potato salad. At potluck dinners/suppers, I can always tell how they boiled the potatoes. And since that is how mom always did it, I do too and that is the way I prefer to make potato salad. I think it is an “old time” method of doing it.
I totally avoid boiling my potatoes, I end up with mashed, boiled too long, and watery, I BAKE my potatoes, and let cool, even if overnight, my potatoes are spot on, and my potatoe salad is not watery at all.
To this recipe try adding 2 Tbs sugar and 2 tsp celery seed. Mix well. Delicious!
I had that problem and could not figure out what was happening. After many years of making it and using plastic to cover them I tried using a plate to cover the bowl that did not work either! It finally hit me that all that I was doing nothing had changed in the last fifty years.Then it struck me could it be the consistency of the Mayo that made it thinner? I looked at the ingredients and yes it had been changed so I changed to another Mayo Dukes Mayo. Unless they too alter the ingredients I have the potato salad that my family loves back.
I make them both ways, skin off and on, depends upon my mood. I always add sugar, too AND usually some dill. Sometimes I throw in some sour cream also.
This is a good basic recipe.
Something I do is fry a few slices of bacon crisp.then I crumble the bacon up in potato salad. Alot of people like that.
I learned from an african american lady who came to help with preparing food for tailgating. She cubed the potatoes and put into water to cover with salt, slice of lemon and bay leaf. Cook until firm but done. Drain, sprinkle sugar and cider vinegar over hot potatoes. Add boiled chopped eggs, celery chopped very fine, India relish, salt, pepper and I love Blue Plate mayo or homemade. I like to make earlier in day and eat at room temperature. Always a big hit.
I usually grate onion into mayo. Not too much.
I use mayo, heavy cream, mustard, salt, sugar in a ja and shake to mix. I find I need to taste and salt often to be sure I get it right. Sorry, no measurements.. Yes, to the person who adds instant potatoes to help watery salad. I use it in tuna or chicken salad for the same reason.
No self respecting Southerner would use any other mayo than Duke’s. Hand in your Southern card. Lol
nope,we only use blue plate here! never heard of duke’s, don’t see it on the shelf. and i boil the onions with my potatoes so they don’t water down the potato salad. sometimes i caramelize them beforehand, too…and only sweet pickles!
Wow! So many variations! I love potato salad and some of your ideas are very interesting! Can’t wait to try… I have a knock out recipe too but I don’t measure either… However I do agree with the person who said boil potatoes in the skin…Whether you use red (which is my first preference) yellow or white.. the skin on while keeps the potato flavor. Try it! It’s worth the extra work. Dukes wasn’t always available in my area. Tried it once and just didn’t feel it had the same flavor Hellmann’s gives. I’ve never had an issue with wet potato salad. I don’t care for overly stiff potato salad but creamy potato salad. So I add a a little water to my mayo and all my ingredients minus the potatoes. I use onion,celery, a little celery seed, eggs, sweet relish, mustard, pepper, nature seasoning, Season All and parsley flakes. No vinegar or sugar. I actually sell my potato salad to others and working on having it sold in a local seafood market. There is no right or wrong way. The only rule is it better taste good. In the African-American culture, the question will be asked by someone..” Who made the potato salad?” I love when I hear people say ” Oh Sherry made it!” and then they say “Good!” and quickly dig in!
My recipe:
10-12 potatoes boiled whole with skins on, cooled and chopped
5-6 green onions, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped fine
6 boiled eggs, chopped fine
1 1/2 cups Dukes Mayo (approximately)
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
2 Tablespoons sweet salad cubes
1 Tablespoon celery seed
2 Tablespoons doll weed
Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish with paprika
Combine all ingredients and keep refrigerated