food Awesome Potato Salad

There's just enough time to get this recipe done before our USA July 4th Independence Day celebrations. 
 
Ok, I admit it.  I HATE Reser's and other pre-made deli potato salad.  And after tasting this recipe, I think you'll agree, homemade potato salad is the Bomb.
 
And as always, it's very easy to customize.  We'll talk about it at the end.
 
Now, I know some of y'all will try to give me flack about posting a video of "how to peel potatoes", but trust me....there really are folks who don't know how to peel a potato. 
 
Here we go! 
 
The Ultimate Awesome Perfect-Every-Time Potato Salad!
 
9 Ingredients- plan on making the salad a day ahead for best flavor.

 
1 (10#) bag POTATOES (I used russets, yukon gold or reds are fine)
1 dozen EGGS 
1 XL ONION (about 3-4 cups fine diced)
1/2 CELERY bunch (about 3-4 cups fine diced)
1 jar MAYO (1 quart)
1 jar MUSTARD (1 cup)
1 jar DILL RELISH (1 cup)
1 Tbsp SALT
1 Tbsp BLACK PEPPER (sorry, geeme~)
 
 
Scrub the potatoes if necessary, cover with water and boil until knife tender.  When cooked, run potatoes under cold water or lay in a flat pan and chill in fridge until cool enough to handle.  This can be done 2 days ahead.  Also, See Video for example of Knife tender and how to quickly peel and dice the cooked/cooled spuds.
 
Hard boil, peel, dice eggs.
Trim and dice onions and celery.
 
Dump in the mayo, mustard, dill relish, salt, and pepper.
Mix it up, and chill well.
 
Yield- 30 cups - approx. 60 servings at a picnic
 

 

 
Spoon??? Who needs a spoon?!?!??

 
Shallow bowls for quick cooling, ease of transport....

 

 
The Sexy Side~~~  lol-

 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAXCEYfVwso&feature=youtu.be
 
I happen to be using a food service pan, but any large Tupperware, large roasting pan, or even the stock pot will work for mixing it up.  Just make sure to put it into shallower pans for cooling.
 
 
About the ingredients-
I chose to use individual bottles to show people who don't keep a deep pantry they can buy just exactly what's needed and not have to worry about leftovers, etc.  If you have a large jar of DILL pickles (whole, spears, sliced, chips...whatever) just dice 'em up and there you go!  Same thing with the mayo, mustard, use what you have.  Stores are even offering individual celery stalks or smaller celery hearts which allows customers to purchase exactly what's needed. 
 
Customizing- Use other potato varieties, use green onions, add minced chiles, Dijon mustard is good...but whatever you do.....do NOT add pimentos!  Pimentos have little purpose in life and no place in a GOOD potato salad! 
 
Enjoy!

i make mine similar to this.  Funny thing is i made some yesterday.  I take the cooked egg yolks and whisk them with the mayo and some pickle juice, stone ground mustard, horseradish.  Then i mix the potato in with it and the egg whites and some chopped homemade pickles and celery.  Don't forget the chives!  salt, black pepper and white pepper!  

There you go! Customized Potato Salad!  Horseradish and stoneground...nice combination.  Thanks for the suggestions. 
 
I like chives and/or green onions in PotSal.  Give a nice green bit.  For this one, I kept it Super Simple. 

Looks delish, Ann ~~~~ MINUS the BP, of course! 
 
Homemade is always best, and my mom's is still my fav (though she likely got it from my grandmother), and one I rarely see anyone else make. Hm. Actually, I don't think I've ever seen anyone else make it her way, period. The biggest difference is that she doesn't use mustard at all. Nope. She uses French dressing instead. People look at me quizzically when I tell them that, but after they try it, they get it. I want to say she uses some caraway in there, and I know she also uses dill weed, but it's been so long ago since she or even I last made it, I can't remember all the details. Maybe I'll resurrect that one soon...

Based on the pasta salad recipe you shared that im addicted to i will for have to give this one a go for sure!
 
Thanks for sharing these recipes. 

geeme, I can see the French Dressing, even the caraway.  You know I had to put the (sorry, geeme) in there for you~  Do you have your mom/g'mas recipe written down somewhere?
 
I've served a version with Dijon mustard and Cajun spices that went over very well.  Same basic recipe, though.
 
 
Hophead's hooked on the pasta recipe?  SWEET! 

Sometimes, when people say they'll bring the potato salad, and I know their culinary skills end at reheating Trader Joe's Lobster Bisque.....  well...you know~~~

Love celery in dishes like this.

SalsaKid knows how to make a rockin' tuna salad with onion, celery, dill pickle, etc.  The other day he made an egg salad with...onion, celery, dill pickle....I'VE never served it that way....but he kicked it up to what he liked and knew....
 
-proud mom moment-  LoveIt~

I like egg salad but I have to be in the mood for it. I'd rather take my tater salad w/o the eggs.
 
I thought waxy potatoes were best and the russets would mush up?

The russets hold their shape enough for me.  The waxy spuds do hold their shape more, but they also don't seem to absorb as much of the flavor of the salad. ( And they also remind me of eating the hard chunky potatoes in deli salads.)  I might have to experiment with using the waxy potatoes and trying to get some flavor infused in them to where they don't just taste like a plain spud.  The russets are "loose" enough they absorb the onion, dill, mustard flavors. 
 
Part of the trick of using russets is to cook until knife tender, then chill.  And MINIMAL mixing with the rest of the ingredients.  You could even mix up all the other ingredients and then add the russets at the very end, just gently folding them in.
 
We used russets because that's what we were buying in 50# bags for the hashbrowns.  Customers seemed to like the fresh potato salad, so we kept it that way.     

Maybe you could send some of that to Pauly so he can blow it up.

If Pauly blew up my potato salad, I'd shoot HIM!    that's not to say he might have something "else" to dispatch....  

Looks great, SL...well, looks like Potato Salad...which is GREAT!
 
I'm a strange person (no shit), and I've chronicled my dislike of eggs. 
Don't eat em. Don't really like food that has them in it.
Don't know why, might be a chicken period thing, might be the "smells like farts" thing, but it's just not for me.
 
But for some reason, potato salad works. I like the mayo (I otherwise don't prefer mayo), and even the chopped hardboiled works (because it looks like a hunk of potato if youre drunk, which I usually am). 
 
That's a good looking, classic recipe. I'm gonna have to give my own variation a try!!!
Happy quatro de Julio!

thanks Fiddy, PotSal is one of those great drunk-must-eat-now foods.  Sops up the likker, ready for another round. 
 
Happy quatro de Julio 2U2!

salsalady said:

that's not to say he might have something "else" to dispatch....  

Click to expand...

 
lol 

Drinking on the job?

You talking about Pauly drinking on the job? Nope, something else....   ...If pocs post in the lounge I'll post them here, until then it's a secret~ 
 
 

Good job,S/L
I should really really watch more of your youtube vids!

In winter months, I have moved to red onions, the girls seem to have a easier time on their tummies. Right now I use chives from my herb garden. On occasion I use Caesar dressing for a different zest.

Wonder if frydad could substitute extra firm tofu? Perhaps lightly sauted in turmeric, something to hold the paprika. It would slice nicely through the egg slicer. I could'nt as the girls call my potato salad.....egg salad....the love picking out the egg.

Well back to the fun, celebrating your 4th in Disneyland, came back to the hotel for a beer and swim, they have been shutting down rides all day, guess due to heat. Heading back for 8pm, fireworks fun!

Hope you and the girls had fun BC!  WOW, I bet they had quite the fireworks show!
 
Red onions, and I love chives also!   Great in PotSal.  (waitress shorthand  )

Thanks again for sharing another great recipe.  I can't wait to try this out.