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The Ultimate Classic Potato Salad

A classic potato salad full of crunchy veggies and tossed in a creamy and tangy dressing! Ā Ideal for any BBQ or summer outing! Ā 

A classic potato salad full of crunchy veggies and tossed in a creamy and tangy dressing!  Ideal for any BBQ or summer outing!

Mmmm potato salad…does anything spell American BBQ more than potato salad? Ā I think not.

There was a time that I did not stomach potato salad. Ā Not one bit.

I could not fathom cold, mayonnaise drenched potatoes being something that was appealing to me.

That all changed one day. Ā I was working in a super busy cafeteria that serviced 3,000 people a day and it just so happened to be picnic season. Ā During this season we made batches upon batches of potato salad. Ā Huge 5 gallon vats of potato salad would disappear in a day’s time as we served it at our picnics and in the cafeteria. Ā I even packaged it up and sold the stuff by the pound as most grocery stores did.

Watching and serving the salad all day long made it even more unappealing to me.

But one day, I was the only chef manager in the kitchen and one of my favorite cooks Teresa (the same Teresa I talk about in one of my favorite panini recipes) came looking for me to taste the batch of potato salad.

“No gracias Teresa. seguro esta bien.” No thanks Teresa, I’m sure it’s good. Ā She waved her head, dunked a plastic spoon into the gooey mixture and said..”Here!” Ā I had a feeling she was not going to take no for an answer.

Well now I had to taste it. Ā That would be wrong and a bad example right? Ā So I sucked it up and tasted it…Teresa watched me with her usual cheery smile on her face. Ā And then the unbelievable happened.

I accidentally breathed…You see I was holding my breath hoping to not taste anything…I know I know and I call myself a chef! Ā But people! Ā I have a wretchedly evil gag reflex!

But when I breathed, I was surprised to find that what was being passed around in my mouth…was surprisingly delicious. Ā It was creamy but not in the gross way I had imagined. Ā It had all the texture and mouth feel that I expected it to have… but those textures were not gross at all! They were delectable.

“MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM es my delicioso Teresa.” Ā That’s delicious Teresa, I said to her. Ā She smiled, thanked me and began placing them in huge Tupperware containers to be used later on that day. Ā And I continued eating the salad.

It was not all creamy, there was some crunch to it and even some tanginess. Ā And it was just what this girl’s appetite wanted. Ā Not needed, wanted. Ā No one actually NEEDS potato salad, let’s be honest.

The next day, I stood by Teresa and watched her make the salad. Ā Such simple ingredients came together to make the ultimate classic potato salad. Ā She made it with such knowing hands and such precision. Ā Never measuring anything but consistently getting the same result. That ladies and gents is a pro.

And so I pass on her delicious recipe to you. Ā I promise THIS will be the only recipe for potato salad you will ever need! Ā I brought this over to a BBQ I attended and it was gobbled up instantly!

I will say, I prefer making it the night before and letting the flavors merry a bit. Ā It’s a lot yummier that way.

First wash up your potatoes. Ā I like to use classic small red potatoes. Ā Cut them up in quarters if they are small, or in eights if they are the larger ones.

A classic potato salad full of crunchy veggies and tossed in a creamy and tangy dressing!  Ideal for any BBQ or summer outing!

Place them in a pot with a few pinches of salt and bring to a boil.

A classic potato salad full of crunchy veggies and tossed in a creamy and tangy dressing!  Ideal for any BBQ or summer outing!

While you are at it, grab some eggs and hard boil them. Ā  I got a nifty tutorial for you on how to make the easiest and most perfect hard boiled eggs every time.

A classic potato salad full of crunchy veggies and tossed in a creamy and tangy dressing!  Ideal for any BBQ or summer outing!

While that’s working for you, finely dice some celery. Ā 
A classic potato salad full of crunchy veggies and tossed in a creamy and tangy dressing!  Ideal for any BBQ or summer outing!

When your potatoes are juuuuuust fork tender, dump them into a colander and let them cool. Ā In fact you can always do this the night before as well.

A classic potato salad full of crunchy veggies and tossed in a creamy and tangy dressing!  Ideal for any BBQ or summer outing!

Place the potatoes in a bowl and crumble up your eggs right on top of there. Ā I just mushed the eggs with my hand, but feel free to do this with your fork if you would like.

A classic potato salad full of crunchy veggies and tossed in a creamy and tangy dressing!  Ideal for any BBQ or summer outing!

Chop up a bunch of scallions (about 3/4 of a cup)… I like it really scalliony because I feel it really brings out the flavor in the potatoes. Ā Add the scallions to the heap as well.

Now add 3/4 cup of sour cream, 3/4 cup of mayo, 1/4 cup of dijon mustard and salt and pepper. Ā Mix everything with a big spatula or your hands. Ā I prefer to use my hands because you get the “dressing” distributed a bit more evenly this way. Ā Check for seasonings and see if you need it zestier, saltier or if it’s just right!

Note: If you would like it a bit healthier you can sub out the sour cream from some non-fat Greek yogurt. Ā In fact, you can sub out the mayo for it too. Ā It will definitely be a bit zestier but that’s not a bad thing!

Garnish with scallions and enjoy!

A classic potato salad full of crunchy veggies and tossed in a creamy and tangy dressing!  Ideal for any BBQ or summer outing!

Print
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The Ultimate Potato Salad from the Girl and the Kitchen

The Ultimate Potato Salad


Ingredients

Scale
  • 5 pounds of red potatoes
  • 5 hard boiled eggs
  • 1 bunch of scallions finely chopped
  • 3 stalks of celery (finely diced)
  • 3/4 cup of sour cream
  • 3/4 cup of mayonnaise
  • 4 tbsp dijon mustard
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. First wash up your potatoes. I like to use classic small red potatoes. Cut them up in quarters if they are small, or in eights if they are the larger ones.
  2. Place them in a pot with a few pinches of salt and bring to a boil.
  3. While you are at it, grab some eggs and hard boil them. I got a nifty tutorial for you on how to make the easiest and most perfect hard boiled eggs every time.
  4. While that’s working for you, finely dice some celery.
  5. When your potatoes are juuuuuust fork tender, dump them into a colander and let them cool. In fact you can always do this the night before as well.
  6. Place the potatoes in a bowl and crumble up your eggs right on top of there. I just mushed the eggs with my hand, but feel free to do this with your fork if you would like.
  7. Chop up a bunch of scallions (about 3/4 of a cup)… I like it really scalliony because I feel it really brings out the flavor in the potatoes. Add the scallions to the heap as well.
  8. Now add 3/4 cup of sour cream, 3/4 cup of mayo, 1/4 cup of dijon mustard and salt and pepper. Mix everything with a big spatula or your hands. I prefer to use my hands because you get the “dressing” distributed a bit more evenly this way. Check for seasonings and see if you need it zestier, saltier or if it’s just right!
  9. Garnish with scallions and enjoy!

***Originally posted August 1st 2014***

A classic potato salad full of crunchy veggies and tossed in a creamy and tangy dressing!  Ideal for any BBQ or summer outing!

 

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22 Comments

  1. Mmm… I love a good potato salad and homemade is the ONLY way to go! So perfect for summery holiday weekends – or anytime šŸ™‚

    1. Helen…You totally could. I gotta tell you it actually tastes better after a few hours though…everything kind of mellows and changes flavors and it becomes fantastic!

    1. Maureen , I think all potato salads dressings are similar… But that tiny difference is what makes for such a variety of different salads ;). Let me know if you ever give it a try

  2. I have been making my potato salad like this for 39 yrs. I never used a recipe, just knew how I wanted it to taste.

    1. Karin! That’s how I do everything šŸ˜‰ but for the blog I force myself to measure so that I can translate my taste buds on paper šŸ˜‰ thanks for stopping by!

    1. Thank you Patricia!!!!! I usually don’t like eggs in salads but they are indispensable in this one!

  3. I had to see Mila’s classic potato salad! I love it. I’m ditching Bobby Flay’s that I’ve been using for years and switching to this! šŸ™‚

    1. Thank you honey!!! I really love it!!!! It’s some seriously stuff your barby (I went Aussie there for you šŸ™‚ ) face amazingness!

  4. Oh my! I have to admit – potato salad has always been one of my favorites – but your recipe has taken my fave to a new level!! Love the story and the photos! (Of course!!)

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