Old-Fashioned Potato Salad | Recipe

The best, easiest and only potato salad recipe you'll ever need.

My grandmother used to whip up a potato salad the whole family adored...well, the whole family, save my dad. My precious, sweet dad. My grandmother absolutely adored him with every fiber of her being. He was the apple of her eye. And, when he didn't like something, she fixed it. What didn't he like about her potato salad? Well, I'll give you a hint: It's a main ingredients in probably almost every, single potato salad recipe, ever, of all-time. Potatoes? Close. No, it was onions. So, this doll of a woman would make a special batch of potato salad for her baby boy every time it was on the menu. And, it was on the menu a lot. She brought one big bowl, and one special little bowl, to almost every family barbecue or pot luck gathering.

Any time the weather warms up and barbecue season clicks back into gear, I can't help but daydream of her potato salad. It was the old-fashioned kind, made with Russet potatoes, onions (sorry, Dad), celery, hard-boiled eggs and mayonnaise dressing. [Side note: Don't you just feel like grandmas have an uncanny adoration for mayonnaise?]

I kept the basics the same, but added a few extra special touches to vamp things up a bit. I like a little bit of tang in my potato salad, so I added a little bit of mustard, a few dashes of vinegar and some dill pickles. Holy bejeezes, have I told you how much I love, love, love pickles yet? If you aren't the biggest fan, no worries. You can always just cut back, or leave them out all together. Or you can just cut them up super small, so nobody knows they're in there. That's what I'm going to do with the onions before I serve it to my dad, anyway. Dad, don't read this. I also threw in a little extra spice and red peppers for complexity. I ended up with a potato salad that still reminded me of home, yet was tailored to my tastebuds. And, apparently the tastebuds of many others as well, because when I tested this recipe out on my beloved guinea pigs (a.k.a. friends and family), the crowd went wild. And, I quote: "The best potato salad they'd ever had." Any recipe that has the ability to take me back to childhood family days, and at the same time, bring smiles to the faces of family standing right in front of me, is solid gold in my book.

Ingredients:

4 medium-sized Russet potatoes, peeled, scrubbed clean and peeled

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons yellow mustard

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon dried dill

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped (see TAK's Deviled Eggs for hard-boiling instructions, if necessary)

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon finely chopped dill pickles

1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

2 tablespoon minced yellow onion

Method:

Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and cut each half into thirds. Transfer potatoes to a large saucepan and cover with water by 1inch. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Allow to boil for about 15 minutes, or until fork tender. Transfer the potatoes to a colander and strain thoroughly. Place in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with vinegar and gently toss. Set aside to cool.

While the potatoes are cooling, make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, salt, drill, paprika and pepper. Set aside until ready to use.

Scoop out about half of the potatoes, transfer to a smaller mixing bowl and using the back of a wooden spoon, or a potato masher, roughly mash and return to the large bowl, along with eggs, celery, pickles, bell pepper and yellow onion. Pour over the dressing and gently stir until well-combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, but preferably overnight. Serve and enjoy.

Makes 10-12 servings.

Would Pair Well With:

Fried Chicken Sandwich

Baked Barbecue Chicken

Whole Roasted Chicken

Barbecue Chicken Sandwich

Onion-Smothered Chicken

Skillet Cheese Burger

Classic Wedge Salad

Classic House Salad

Spicy Cucumber Salad

Boston Baked Beans

Yellow Squash Casserole

Creamed Corn

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