Potato salad is kind of like that great-aunt that you occasionally visit. I mean, you know, we all have those relatives that we don’t visit enough. It’s tough to admit that we don’t slow down enough to enjoy the old-fashioned pleasures in life of chatting, reminiscing, and eating potato salad. But today is a great day to make up for lost time.
Potato Salad is for Family Gatherings
Most of us grew up eating potato salad at family gatherings. It’s economical and feeds a crowd. I can’t have barbecue without potato salad. Can you?
There are a couple of tricks to making potato salad. First, the potatoes have to be boiled, but not boiled into a mush. There is a point in their cooking process when they can be pierced with a fork, but still have a tiny bit of firmness. In my experience, the proper texture can be reached after 20 minutes of simmering. Leaving the potatoes whole while you boil helps, but larger potatoes will take longer to cook than smaller potatoes. Just be vigilant.
The second trick is to make it the day before your meal. Potatoes are absorbent. If they are not given enough time to marinate in the seasonings, mayo and vinegar, the salad will taste like lumps of boiled potatoes swimming in disappointment. This recipe will seem a bit soupy when you first make it, but after chilling in the fridge overnight, you will have a lovely creamy side dish with a beautiful marriage of flavors.
Invent Your Own Famous Potato Salad
Don’t consider this the “end all and be all” recipe. This is a basic recipe where you can add your personal riffs. Your potato salad has the potential to be famous. Add more jalapeños, top with bacon, add a couple of chopped boiled eggs or even some slivered almonds. Tweak this recipe so that you can call it your own. And then take some over to your great-aunt. You know she already loves it.
Print- Prep Time: 24 hours
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 24 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: US
Ingredients
2 ½ lbs. potatoes (1.13kg)
1 cup mayonnaise (230g)
2/3 cup pimento stuffed olives, chopped in half (113g)
¼ cup chopped jalapeños, or to taste (42g)
½ cup stone ground mustard (120ml)
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar (30ml)
2 tsp. celery salt (8g)
1 tsp. red pepper flakes or to taste (2g)
¼ cup chopped parsley, either fresh or dried (6g)
Salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Parsley for garnish
Instructions
Scrub and peel the potatoes and leave whole. Place in a 3 qt (3lt) saucepan, and cover with water. Season with salt. Bring the pot to a boil, and lower to a simmer for 20 minutes. The potatoes should be easily pierced through the center with a fork but not mushy. Remove from the heat, drain the water and allow the potatoes to cool completely. Dice the potatoes into 1” cubes (2.5cm)
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, olives, mustard, vinegar, celery salt and red pepper flakes until well combined. Add the potato cubes chopped parsley and stir to coat the potatoes well. Cover the mixing bowl and store the potato salad in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Garnish with parsley before serving.
Notes
Note: Overnight, the potatoes will absorb the dressing mixture, so it may seem a little soupy at first. This recipe is best made 1 day in advance. Also, this recipe doubles very easy. Yes, you need double the mayo, but if that bugs you, simply add 1.5 cups of mayo to your double recipe and 1/2 cup of apple cidar vinegar soo that you have the moisture you need, but a little less fat (I’m a full fat person, so I would happily use 2 cups of mayo in a double recipe!)
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