Potato Salad

I wonder how many recipes there are for potato salad. Hundreds? Maybe thousands? At least. It seems that every culture, every country, every cuisine has some sort of salad, hot or cold, based on potatoes. And, of course, every cook puts his or her special touch on the recipe.

That’s what I’ve done with this recipe. I’ve tweaked it and tweaked it until it perfectly suits our tastes. Try it and maybe it’ll suit yours as well.

2 lbs potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
2 ribs celery, diced
2 scallions, sliced
2 heaping tblsp sweet pickle relish
2 tblsp chopped pimiento
½ cup mayonnaise (I use lite – Duke’s brand, of course)
1 tblsp yellow mustard
salt and pepper
paprika for garnish

Prepare the potatoes by cutting them into bite-size pieces. I like to use a waxy, red-skinned potato, but you choose whatever you like. I just like the way the waxier potatoes retain some “bite” after they’ve cooked instead of becoming more like a mashed potato texture.  Put the potatoes into a steamer basket over boiling water and cook until fork tender. Steaming is another thing that I do differently. Again, I prefer the texture you get from steaming instead of boiling.

 Chop the celery and scallions and add them to a large bowl along with the sweet pickle relish and pimiento. Again, the sweet pickle relish is a personal thing. Some folks use cubed sweet pickles or even dill cubes. I like the bit of sweetness the relish adds as a contrast to the scallions.

In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper. Combine drained, cooked potatoes in a large bowl with celery, scallions, pickle relish, and pimiento. Make sure that you drain the potatoes very well. You can even return them to the hot pan for a few minutes to allow all the water to evaporate. You want them quite dry but still warm. Combine the mayonnaise and potato mixtures and toss until well combined.

Spoon into a serving dish and dust with paprika (if desired).

Enjoy!

Download a printable copy here.

Tagged as: cooking, Food, mayonnaise, picnic, potato salad, potatoes, recipes, salad, summer