Potato Salad

[rozrapp]

bushey

The current favorites of my kids is French style potato sald, where you just toss slices of steamed potatoes -- red bliss are especially nice -- with a mustardy vinaigrette, then sprinkle with salt, pepper and fresh snipped chives.

That's the style I prefer.  But before I add the vinaigrette, I pour on some white wine and let it get absorbed into the warm potatoes.  I add some chopped shallots and freshly ground pepper, then the vinaigrette.

[nyfirepatrolchef X]

god I am so loving you guys....I cant have my beloved German cuz of the pork, nor can I have the mayo based ones cuz of the fat in even the cannola mayo...I knew there were mondo varieties of potato salad but wow...theres hope!!

[stellabella]

my mom tells me to put italian dressing over the diced cooked potatoes while they are still warm, and let them sit and marinate before adding anything else.  to be honest, i haven't made potato salads that please me especially--but wish i could.

i was interested in reading about potatoes in russ parson'show to read a french fry--the boiling potatoes are less starchy & higher in sugar than bakers--they hold together better.  baking potatoes fall to mush.  i certainly prefer a firmer potato salad.

thanks for the recipes yins have posted.

[joannelevy]

I've enjoyed making the french potato salad from this month's Cook's Illustrated.  The technique of slicing the potatoes in quarter inch rounds before cooking then dressing them while warm ( and on a baking sheet for maximum exposure to the vinaigrette dressing ) produces great results.

[Jinmyo]

Stella, what's the Italian dressing?

Joanne, the baking tray is a nice idea.

[Fat Guy]

It's interesting you'd bring this up right now because over the weekend I did a little potato salad taste test between a mayonnaise-based American-South-style potato salad (you know, with egg in it and all that) and a German-style potato salad with a vinegar-based dressing. Both were excellent, and they were also good mixed together! (Forgive me.)

So I'm pretty open-minded about potato salad. The one thing that really irks me is when the potatoes are overcooked. They should maintain their shape and have a little body to them. I also prefer the waxier potato varieties for potato salad.

I'll try to get my mother's recipe, but as with all her recipes it will be a process to obtain it and it won't actually represent how she makes it. Still I can try. I know she uses two types of potatoes.

[torakris]

I love potato salads in all its variations. Mayo based, oil based, warm German style.

For me I think only waxy potatoes work and I like it to be chunky, no "mashed" potato salads.

In the mayo version, green olives and lots of dill are the only requirement, other additions are secondary.

In the oil based I like it with EVOO and a good wine vinegar, green beans, maybe some red pepper and lots of herbs.

German style warm potato salad can only be made with lots of onions, crispy bacon and basalmic vinegar.

I am also partial recently to a version from Jamie Oliver, boiled waxy potatoes tossed with avocado, cress sprouts (I use kaiware, daikon sprouts) and EVOO and lemon juice, of course lots of S and P. The kids love it.

[mynamejoe]

Mayo-based is ok to me, but I much prefer warm German potato salad (kartoffelsalat). Traditional German recipes that I've seen consist of basically potatoes, vinegar, onion and chicken stock. I like it better as Torakris describes it, which is kartoffelsalat mit speck. The best I've made was with sliced baby yukon gold potatoes, onions, red wine vinegar and rendered pork fat.

[Suvir Saran]

So I'm pretty open-minded about potato salad. The one thing that really irks me is when the potatoes are overcooked. They should maintain their shape and have a little body to them. I also prefer the waxier potato varieties for potato salad.

I'll try to get my mother's recipe, but as with all her recipes it will be a process to obtain it and it won't actually represent how she makes it. Still I can try. I know she uses two types of potatoes.

The one I ate at Eds was made with waxy potatoes and was mayo based with eggs and pickled cucumbers... It is my all time favorite.. he also adds a generous amount of fresh herbs... I cannot resist eating large bowlfuls of it.

I was sent home with a large box of Potato Salad Schoenfeld .... and I shall eat it tomorrow for lunch.

[polly]

I too love most types of potato salad.

For mayonnaise based ones I like lots of chopped spring onions or a brunoise of red onion through it, along with lots of other herbs and seasonings.

Good quality mayo is also a must. Most commercial brands are sooo sweet and artificial tasting...and they can't be served chilled. Refrigerated potato is horrible.

Warm potato salads are probably my favouites.

The German type with garlicy vinaigrette, lots of parsley and crispy bacon, or warm pots tossed in savoury ( the herb), creme fraiche and salt and pepper.

I now wish I had some potatoes in the house to play with...

[gknl]

I like both kinds, warm and cold, too. I usually use Yukon golds or reds.

There's one in the Pasta and Cheese cookbook (is that store still around?) that's pretty good. It's a play on baked potato flavorings and includes sour cream, scallions, and chives in addition to mayo (with dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, and lemon juice).

[ChefHDAN]

My preference is for the varieties with vinaigrettes, fresh herbs, some sort of good mustard, and most often BACON. When making this style always remember to dress the potatoes as soon as they have been drained. Potatoes absorb flavors while they're hot and the starches will "seal" up the potatoes once they have cooled.

[Marlene]

I usually use Red potatoes. They seem to hold their shape better, and I don't peel them. I also use bacon in my salad as well as keilbassa. I take tubs of this salad to picnics and potlucks, and there is never any left over.

[wawairis]

I usually use Yukon gold. Boil potatoes with skin on until tender, but not mushy. Cool until able to handle. Chop potatoes into approx 1/2 inch size pieces. Chop 1 yellow (or red) onion into small dice. Add to potatoes, chop 2 hard boiled eggs into small dice and add to potatoes. Salt and pepper to taste. Add approx 1 Tbsp of hearty prepared mustard and 1 Tbsp of sweet relish. Throw in a couple of shots of your favorite hot sauce and add mayo to dress the mixture until your desired consistency. This was my Mom's recipe and it's been requested repeatedly at family/friend and work gatherings. Everyone always wants to know the recipe. IMHO, it's what I like...

BTW, my Mom used to add a pinch of sugar too.

[snowangel]

Dijon is a requirement in our household -- whether it's mayo or vinegarette-style.

[Dana]

I never met a potato salad I didn't like!!! I take that back---I hate that sweet relish mushy stuff people buy in the grocery store and bring to covered dish dinners when they are too lazy to cook something. Several years ago, I threw a surprise party for my husband's birthday. I needed a vast amount of potato salad, so I simply baked the potatoes in a large baking pan, let them cool, then proceeded as usual. Best potato salad I ever made!!! The potatoes were not waterlogged, and were full of good potato flavor. (It's the only way I make it now). I use mayo (only Hellmans) and ballpark mustard, and dill pickles along with a little pickle juice, green onion, celery and hard boiled eggs, parsley and s&p. I prefer the dill version over sweet, but that's what I grew up with.

[Aix]

Whichever way you like your potato salad (vinaigrette-based or mayo), they should always be tossed in a good quality vinegar when they are warm. A little white wine doesn't hurt either.

In both styles, I use Dijon or grainy mustard. My fave: lots of shallots and fresh tarragon.

[Suzanne F]

Mmmmm -- potato salad! Always start with yukon golds or red-skin new potatoes. YES, waxy is better! Slice for French- or German-style, chunk for American. Cook until just tender -- that's the hard part. (The instructions in Julia's The Way to Cook never work for me; I find 6 minutes is too short.) Drain. For American, let the cubes cool to room temp; French and German, mix the potatoes with the other ingredients and then let cool (German need not cool at all).

I like to add the onion flavor in different ways, again depending on ethnicity: chopped scallions/green onions for American; shallots for French; and sautéed Spanish onions for German (cooked in the bacon fat). Other additions:

American: Mayonnaise; mustard; yogurt, to lighten the mayo; diced celery (or a little celery seed); sweet pickle relish or chopped sour pickles; chopped parsley.

French: I pretty much follow the recipe in The Way to Cook -- but I'll add a lot more chopped herbs, whatever I have available.

German: much like everyone else's: crumbled cooked bacon and its fat, the aforementioned cooked onions, a little sugar along with the salt and pepper (lots of pepper), and vinegar (Balsamic is a great idea!).

When I was little, a German deli in our neighborhood made a very simple, very delicious potato salad, with a creamy white dressing and chopped parsley only. I wish I could find out how they made the dressing: it was a little sweet, a little tart, and pure white -- not mayo, but ?????

BTW: Blue Smoke has one of the best potato salads I've ever eaten; theirs has sour pickle, onion, and egg.

[tommy]

you can do so much with potato salad. it's a blank slate. a near-perfect canvas.

[Dana]

I almost forgot---Bobby Flay has a recipe for a Spanish potato salad on TVFN web site that is outstanding!!! It uses saffron-infused vinegar with a lot of garlic and fresh thyme. My law-school daughter always asks for it every time she comes home.

Another thought---what do ya'll serve your salad with? I serve it mostly with BBQ or grilled meats, or sometimes with fried fish. There are a lot of families in our area who include it in holiday meals - Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, etc. It seems too picnic-y and casual for holiday fare. Besides, there are soooo many carbos at the holiday-type gatherings, another is unnecessary.

[snowangel]

When I was little, a German deli in our neighborhood made a very simple, very delicious potato salad, with a creamy white dressing and chopped parsley only.  I wish I could find out how they made the dressing: it was a little sweet, a little tart, and pure white -- not mayo, but ?????

There's a German deli in a very German town just south of Minneapolis that also makes a salad of very thinly sliced red onions with this same dressing, sans the parsley, but with poppy seeds. Anyone have any ideas what this dressing is? I think a miracle whip-tasting dressing most closely approximates this, but that's not quite right, either.

[Suzanne F]

Miracle Whip, eh? Never had it that I was aware of, so maybe ... Guess I'll get some next time at the store and check. Thanks!

[Suvir Saran]

you can do so much with potato salad.  it's a blank slate.  a near-perfect canvas.

And like so much other stuff... a clean slate that is ruined by so many.

[Suvir Saran]

I never met a potato salad I didn't like!!! I take that back---I hate that sweet relish mushy stuff people buy in the grocery store and bring to covered dish dinners when they are too lazy to cook something.

It is exactly the same potato salad that made me wonder for years if I would ever eat a tasty mayo based potato salad.

And after eating Ed's version, I have become a convert, but also spoiled for life. Few versions stand upto his. I simply get myself invited to his home when I have a craving.

He is not a lazy cook.

[stagis]

I guess everybody likes potato salad in all its variations......the only requirement? Firm taters.......no moosh.