Your favorite potato salad recipe...

[Chrisnstar]

I figure with Memorial Day weekend here, potlucks and picnics will be the big activities. I don't know about you guys, but I just HATE deli or grocery store potato salad. But there's something about real potato salad that is divine!

Let's share some recipes! I'd like to try something new.

Here's MY MOTHER'S RECIPE. Everyone asks for it. it's been in several cookbooks. You can't go wrong with this one:

Red potatoes
Eggs
Onion
Thyme
Salt
Pepper
Dill Pickle
Mayonaise (not Miracle whip, ugh, real mayo please)
Sour cream

Boil the potatoes and eggs. For a crowd, I'll use a 5 pound bag of red potatoes and about 4 to 5 eggs. Adjust recipe according to the amount you need to make.

Let potatoes and eggs cool. While they are cooling, chop an onion in fine pieces, or half onion if making a small batch. Soak the onion pieces in salt water. (It takes the "bite" out of them)

Then peel and chop the potatoes and eggs. Save a couple of eggs and slice lengthwise or in circles and set aside for a garnish.

Put chopped potatoes and eggs in a large mixing bowl. chop up a couple of whole dill pickles in fine pieces and add to the mix. Drain the salt water off the onions, rinse and then add to the potatoes.

Sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme. Stir lightly with a fork. Don't use a spoon, it smashes the potatoes.

Add a glop of mayo and glop of sour cream. Mix in with the potato mixture. I start with a smaller amount, you can always add, but it's hard to take away if you put in too much. Adjust seasonings to taste. Put the potato salad away in the fridge for awhile. It will soak up the dressing. You may need to add a littl emore before serving.

When company comes, put in nice bowl, garnish with paprika and the sliced eggs.

Expect a lot of compliments. ;D My oldest son is quite a cook too. He makes a variation of this recipe with garlic powder added for a little extra zing.

chris

[AmberC]

Eek, I don't eat anything with pickles in it. Pickles are evil!

Amber

[Sheryl]

I love pickles! Thanks for the recipe.

[Hasha]

Po-ta-to salad? Hmmmmm what's that? I haven't eatten it in so long, I've forgotten! I do sneak a french fry every once in a while thou.
I don't think that I have ever made the stuff. But I make a mean cole slaw (hey! I can eat that! ;D )
I wonder if any one makes a low carb chocolate cake yet? ;D

[Mary Ann]

Favorite potato salad is your basic mustard/mayo type, but with lots of things in it. I like to use an Idaho type, leave the peels on, and bake them, then cut them into chunks. Then I stir in mayo, mustard, finely chopped celery, onion, minced garlic, crumbled crisp bacon, maybe some chopped chives if I have fresh, a bit of salt to taste and black pepper. Some sour cream and grated cheddar cheese is good, too.

To go with that, you have to drink real old time lemonade. To make it, take four lemons and slice them thin, and place them in a crock or ceramic bowl. Take out all the seeds as you see them when you slice. Sprinkle 3/4 cup of sugar over the lemon slices and stir. Let this macerate for about ten minutes, then mash with a potato masher to extract all the juices and the flavorful oils from the lemon peel. Dump into a half gallon pitcher (especially one with a lip on it to strain out ice; makes life easier) and add a quart of water. Stir. Enjoy over ice on a blistering hot day.

[tricia]

Mine is sort of like Mary Ann's. I don't have a set amount of ingredients, I just dump it all together and know what it's *supposed* to look like.

It's simple, easy and yummy.....

Peel 1/2 of the potatoes, the other 1/2 get scrubbed really well. (I like some peel, but not a lot).
Cube and boil until just fork tender. While the potatoes are boiling, (sometimes in the same pot if I remember) I boil a few eggs. How many eggs depends on how many potatoes. Usually 2 or 3.

Drain potatoes well, dump into a big bowl. Peel and grate the eggs into the potatoes. Add Bama mayo (no other will do!), a tiny bit of mustard, a handfull or so of chopped pickles, a small finely chopped Vidalia onion, salt, pepper and garlic to taste. Sometimes I add a bit of real crumbled bacon and/or a tiny bit of paprika, depending on my mood and what I'm serving it with. If the pickles aren't really strong tasting, sometimes I'll add a bit of pickle juice to give it a kick.

I like to eat it while it is warm too. I refuse to eat cold potato salad - YUCK! lol

[Mary Ann]

Bama mayo....mmmm....

Do you ever have Golden Eagle Table Syrup with your cornbread or pancakes? Most northerners don't know about that one either.

[tricia]

Oh yes, both are staples in my cabinet.

Do you get either up where you are? I kinda think the Bama mayo is just here and in Ga, but i might be wrong.

[Mary Ann]

Once in a looong time, and on an irregular basis, you might see one or the other at the SuperWalmart. But that's it. I don't know why they can get them and others either can't or don't. They're the best, though!

[Kit]

I'm not a potato fan, but my sister makes one that everyone just raves about.
It's a roasted potato salad and I know it has sasuage and egg in it, then some sort of sauce.

I know she's making it for our BBQ next weekend when my brother is here

[Coyote]

Hasha said:

But I make a mean cole slaw (hey! I can eat that! ;D )

Do you mind sharing the cole slaw recipe?

As for the potato salad, my mother made a great one. It's very hit or miss with my sil and me whether we get it to taste the same. It's very basic, but it is so very good. Peeled potatoes, butter (that actually is the key to getting it "right"), mayonnaise, boiled eggs, sweet pickles with some pickle juice (can't be bought out here in the West as far as I can tell) onion, salt - everything "to taste".

[Lindanshadow]

I boil my potatoes, drain the water and cover them with zesty italian dressing and put in the fridge overnight. Then in the morning I drain off the excess liquid from the dressing and add mayo, eggs, celery, salt, pepper and pickles (if desired) and mix well. Very good! ;D

[sw]

Miine is a lot like yours:

Red potatoes, with the skins still on.
Some chopped onion.
Half and half mayo & sour cream (can also use plain yogurt instead of sour cream).
Sprinkle with lots & lots of DILL WEED (no pickles)
Salt, too, to taste.

[Deleted]

I use boiled taters, skin on
eggs, boiled 'til they're rubbery (personal taste, not necessary)
celery
a wee bit o' chopped onion
garlic powder
lite mayo (not fat-free, the stuff is revolting and they replace the fat with sugar ICK)
KEY ingredient is dried mustard. It has a nice kick that goes really well with tater salad. This you've got to add slowly to taste as a little goes a loooong way.
Meld overnight and voila, fabuloso.

[Chrisnstar]

Here's another twist!

GREEK POTATO SALAD

Red potatoes
sweet red onion
olive oil
lemon juice
oregano
salt and pepper to taste

green or red peppers for garnish

boil potatoes, cool, then remove skins and chop. Set aside.

chop onions and soak in some salt water for about 15 minutes, then drain and rinse (gets ride of the sting!)

Mix together the onions, potatoes, salt, pepper and oregano. Toss lightly so as not to smash the potatoes. Drizzle with olive oil, then lemon juice (you can use half lemon juice and half wine or balsamic vinegar also). Do this to taste. some people like more olive oil flavor. Some like more tangy with more lemon juice.

This a heart healthy way to have potato salad and it tastes good! You can play with the ingredients some. It's hard to hurt it by experimenting.

chris