Potato Salad

[Poffertjes]

When you use homemade mayo do you tell people?

Last time I brought my grandmother's recipe potato salad to a potluck people got grossed out by the thought of raw eggs. Worried they were going to die a horrible death.

I'm planning on bringing it to a picnic tomorrow, but am now worried that people get freaked out by the thought of raw eggs (um cookie dough, hollendaise, margaritas occasionally)

To tell or not to tell.....

its not the same with store bought mayo!!!

[Anna N]

When you use homemade mayo do you tell people?

Last time I brought my grandmother's recipe potato salad to a potluck people got grossed out by the thought of raw eggs. Worried they were going to die a horrible death.

I'm planning on bringing it to a picnic tomorrow, but am now worried that people get freaked out by the thought of raw eggs (um cookie dough, hollendaise, margaritas occasionally) 

To tell or not to tell.....

its not the same with store bought mayo!!!

←

TELL! You might have people with compromised immune systems or women who are pregnant! To most of us who are reasonably healthy it's no biggie but for some it's a risk they should not have to take unknowingly.

[Anna N]

Desperate for another side dish last night with company coming, I flew on a wing and a prayer and invented my own potato salad. Tiny Yukons boiled in the skin until barely tender and then peeled and quartered. I tossed them with some chives, parsley, salt and pepper while warm. When cold, I dressed them with Hellmann's cut with a little thick yogurt and seasoned with Dijon mustard. That's it and it got raves all around.

[MicBacchus]

Made potato salad last Sunday - boiled red potatoes, drained and cubed, added some cider vinegar then mayo, sour cream, a hint of Dijon, a chunked hard boiled egg, s&p and some sliced radishes. Certainly not anything fancy good nonetheless.

[Kris]

I make my potato salad with red skinned potatoes, Hellmann's mayonnaise and sandwich spread, hard boiled eggs, minced fresh onion and green peppers, vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper and celery seed.

A former co-worker of mine made some of the best potato salad. She is an older woman (in her 70's now) and was the first person I knew to add celery seed to her potato salad. I liked the taste so I've been doing it with my potato salad ever since. :)

Edited June 18, 2005 by Kris (log)

[LindaK]

The version I grew up with had not only a mayo base but hard-boiled eggs and crumbled bacon. yummy but rich, to say the least.

Last summer I came up with a new variation when requested at the last minute to bring a potato salad to a bbq:

- fresh waxy potatoes

- fresh sweet corn, lightly steamed on the cob, sliced off into rough chunks

- a dressing made from Hellman's (sorry, it was what I had handy) thinned with fresh lemon juice and seasoned with a bit of dijon mustard and a dash of tabasco

- lots of fresh basil, cut in a fine chiffonade

it was a huge hit, and I can't wait until corn season to try it again and see if it is as good as I remember.

[MarketStEl]

Interesting.

This discussion began three years ago, was most recently added to in June, and throughout all of this, nobody has mentioned the secret ingredient in every good African-American potato salad I've had:

Pickle relish.

Not diced pickles--relish. Sweet relish or India relish (which is almost as sweet anyway), makes no difference.

I have a friend who can't stand relish, so sometimes I make it without, but when I want the genuine article, in it goes.

And let me also endorse the use of Miracle Whip instead of mayo in potato salad. I don't think it's a must-use ingredient, but it does add a little extra tanginess to the concoction.

Now I'm going to have to make some after reading all this. Gives me an excuse to try this aged rice vinegar I bought recently.

[McDermitt]

I was reading Giuliano Bugialli's "The Fine Art of Italian Cooking" and saw a recipe for inslala di patate alla fiorentina -- potato salad, florentine style.

It sounded good so I tried it.

The basic premise was dressing the chilled potatoes with anchovies, black pepper, olive oil and flat leaf parsley. This is now one of my favorite potato salads.

I made the sauce by pounding the anchovies with a mortar and pestle, so as the potatoes were cooling I could not resist dunking a slighly warmed potato into the anchovy mixture. Now I am not sure if I prefer this dish chilled or warmed. Both were just as good as the other.

[Kris]

Interesting.

This discussion began three years ago, was most recently added to in June, and throughout all of this, nobody has mentioned the secret ingredient in every good African-American potato salad I've had:

Pickle relish.

Not diced pickles--relish.  Sweet relish or India relish (which is almost as sweet anyway), makes no difference.

I have a friend who can't stand relish, so sometimes I make it without, but when I want the genuine article, in it goes...

←

I use Hellmann's sandwich spread, which is a type of mayo blended with chopped relish and pimentos. So does that count toward making AA type potato salad?

[Jaymes]

Interesting.

This discussion began three years ago, was most recently added to in June, and throughout all of this, nobody has mentioned the secret ingredient in every good African-American potato salad I've had:

Pickle relish.

Not diced pickles--relish.  Sweet relish or India relish (which is almost as sweet anyway), makes no difference.

I have a friend who can't stand relish, so sometimes I make it without, but when I want the genuine article, in it goes.

And let me also endorse the use of Miracle Whip instead of mayo in potato salad.  I don't think it's a must-use ingredient, but it does add a little extra tanginess to the concoction.

Now I'm going to have to make some after reading all this.  Gives me an excuse to try this aged rice vinegar I bought recently.

My southern-cook relatives all make their potato salad with MW & pickle relish.

And I´ve got a great recipe for Sweet Potato Salad that calls for MW, relish and Durkee's.

[hummingbirdkiss]

during the formative years of my marriage I lived in Panama where I learned to make potato salad ...

standard recipe made with thick waxy potatos dressed with mayo, onions, celery, salt, pepper ect ..this part of the recipe changes and morphs every year

..however...

what makes it different and better than any other in my opinion...are the diced red roasted beets in it ..sweet peas and green olives...

this is a bright pink potato salad

[Jaymes]

With Memorial Day and summer picnic season right around the corner, thought I'd bring this back up.

And Hummingbirdkiss, by any chance could you post the exact recipe for your bright pink potato salad?

[snowangel]

I know you're "supposed" to use new reds for potato salad, but the stuff I was making last summer was a riff on the recipe (actually, not a recipe, but a method) from my great aunt Laura, who used to make it by the laundry tub to be sold at my grandfather's grocery store. Russets -- peeled or not -- cubed, boiled in salty water until just about tender. Tossed when drained, but still hot with vinegar. Mixed, when cool, with a mess of diced hardcooked eggs and onions (scallions, yellow ones or shallots; whatever you have, and I have a hard time believing that she could get scallions or shallots easily in Lincoln, NE in the 40's and 50's) and a dressing of Hellman's Spin Blend, cider vinegar and yellow mustard. Oh, and a dollop of regular Hellman's, too.

Now, my riff is to toss the potatoes not with regular white vinegar, but one infused with lemon and dill. Hellman's no longer makes Spin Blend (superior to MW), but someone else bought the brand and a friend who lives in a small town in S. MN gets it for me.

But, this potato salad at Midwestern picnics is a winner, and is more popular than that made by the Little Old Ladies.

[Jaymes]

Hellman's no longer makes Spin Blend (superior to MW), but someone else bought the brand and a friend who lives in a small town in S. MN gets it for me.

What is Spin Blend, and if you couldn't get it, what would you substitute?

[snowangel]

Hellman's no longer makes Spin Blend (superior to MW), but someone else bought the brand and a friend who lives in a small town in S. MN gets it for me.

What is Spin Blend, and if you couldn't get it, what would you substitute?

←

Spin Blend was Hellman's answer to Miracle Whip. However, the sold the recipe to some company (who is replicating it exactly, BTW) so it's much more difficult to get. My friends here in Hot Dish Land all grew up with Miracle Whip potato salad, and much prefer my version, but part of that could be the stuff that happens to the potatoes before they are even mixed with The Mixture that is a Dressing (and which is all eyeballed, BTW, just like they did in the days of old).

[Scargo]

I'm a Texan. For most of my life I ate variations of the same potato salad that many people from north and central Texas made. My mom is almost 91 and can't make food anymore but this thread made me think about how much I owe her for my love of the kitchen and home cooking. I started fixing meals when I was eight. This was out of necessity to help the family function after my father suddenly died.

So my mom raised five of us by herself and all of us cook quite well! I am the second oldest and my two younger brothers and my son have cooked in restaurants. Thank you Mom!

The unique thing about Mom's potato salad was that she would use the dill pickle vinegar to make the salad acidic. This was not a "sweet pickle" or "sweet" potato salad, by any means. I have found, in my fifty years (of being discerning about food) that I remember eating a lot of soggy and soupy potato salad. This may be the biggest gripe I have.

My Mom's recipe, in basic ingredients:

red potatoes diced into 1/2 inch cubes once cooled

sweet vidalia onion, chopped to 1/2 inch shards

dill pickles, chopped to 1/4 inch cubes

hardboiled eggs, chopped

celery, strings removed and chopped to 1/4-3/8 inch size

mustard and mayonaise

salt and pepper (I salt and pepper while the potatoes are cooking)

Paprika (I like McCormack's smoked pepper paprika)

Use just enough liquids (pickle juice-or whatever vinegar, mustard and mayonaise mix) to generously coat the potatoes; similar to how you might dress a leafy salad.

Pretty basic. I have done variations: different kinds of olives, mustards, celery seed, fresh dill, white wine vinegar and capers. I have used fried bacon and a little bacon grease, as well.

Thanks for letting me share.

Edited June 19, 2007 by Scargo (log)

[GlorifiedRice]

Cooked Potato Chunks

Hard Boiled Eggs

Chopped Celery

Mayo

French's Mustard

Salt Pepper

Thats it!

Its good to mention that if you accidently overcook the potatoes for Potato Salad, you can rescue them by sticking them in Tupperware into the freezer till they slightly freeze.

BTW- Kohlrabi makes an excellent low carb FauxTato salad

[Jaymes]

I'm a Texan. For most of my life I ate variations of the same potato salad that many people from north and central Texas made.

Pretty basic. I have done variations: different kinds of olives, mustards, celery seed, fresh dill, white wine vinegar and capers. I have used fried bacon and a little bacon grease, as well.

How about Durkee's? As I recall my Texan days, many of those "old-timey" Texas cooks wouldn't think of mixin' up a potato salad without some Durkee's.

Y'all?

[Scargo]

Nope. Didn't use Durkee's as far as I recall, for potato salad.

Yes, I know it was in a lot of kitchens, used for a lot of things.

I gotta brisket in the fridge an' I got a hankerin' for some BBQ brisket, potato salad and beans. I'm fixin' to do that tomorrow....

I can do Texas speak...

[jmcgrath]

There must surely be as many methods of making potato salads as there are cooks.

I'm sure every eGulleteer has plenty of recipes.  Please share with me your favorites.

←

One of my favorites is Creole Potato Salad from the Dinosaur Bar B Que cookbook.

Roughly,

A couple of pounds of red potatoes

4 hard cooked eggs, chopped

About a half cup of minced red onion

Perhaps a cup of diced celery

Two teaspoons of Creole seasoning (I use Tony C's)

Two teaspoons or so of kosher salt

About a teaspoon of black pepper

For the dressing

A cup of mayonnaise

A half cup of creole mustard

And a teaspoon of brown sugar

You can garnish this with some crumbled bacon

Jim

[K8memphis]

I use a 'regular' potato salad formulation. With a coupla ideas for you.

I use well chopped bread & butter pickles (not old fashioned b&b just the regular ones) and the juice and the little spicy tidbits. If I don't use the whole jar of pickles, I remove them all into another dish and pour off most of the juice so the remaining spicy tidbits are easily accessible. Hold that thought.

I always boil then peel my potatoes while hot (use a glove) and mix up the main components while potatoes are hot.

I slightly overcook my potatoes so you don't get giant crunchy mouthfuls of starch that seem to increase in size with each chew and bulge out the sides of your face.

But after I initially mix up the basic stuff, hot potatoes, carefully timed boiled chopped eggs, minced onions, salad dressing, mustard, salt, pepper, a pinch of sugar, I pour in the reserved tidbits and pickle juice. Probably pour in some more juice and kinda squish the potatoes a bit to help soakify things up. And not make a mashed potato but make a potato starchy umm, dressing. It all works together to make the dressing so it's nice & moist. It seems a bit soggy (oh my!) but it sets up perfectly when chilled. It was my father-in-law's favorite and that's saying a mouthful.

However I learned that potato salad is Food Polarity Supreme. In my brief life as a tea-room operator, I discontinued my potato salad, aka Dan's Favorite PS, due to that factor. "Nobody makes it like Mom's!"

[suzilightning]

just finishing up the 'tater salad for dinner tonight. have been experimenting with a couple of things and john really seems to like them:

1. after draining the cubed potatoes i have been dousing them with rice wine vinegar

2. have been thinning my green goddess dressing with a bit of toffuti sour cream for the dressing(used instead of real sour cream so john can eat it)

3. sometimes i'll add steamed green beans to the salad. anything to get more vegetables into a Reed!!

[BertaBurtonLake]

I make potato salad this way:

boiled till just done waxy potatoes in their jackets, peel and chunk while still very warm. Sprinkle white wine vinegar over warm chunked potatoes. Add chopped celery, chopped egg whites, chopped green onions and toss lightly. Make dressing of good stiff mayo, a few tablespoons of Claussen dill pickle juice, seived egg yolks and a little ground English mustard. Mix dressing with potato mixture and refrigerate to marry flavors. OHHH SOOO GOOOD!

~Berta

[Marigene]

The very best potato salad I have ever consumed was made with small reds, chopped celery, green onions, Hellmann's, Dijon, sour cream, white wine, and blue cheese salt and pepper. Just typing this up is making me hungry!

[Scargo]

Blue cheese. Now we've added cheese into the equation! And sour cream in another recipe. Interesting.......