Call Me Old Fashion (Devon’s Mom’s Potato Salad)
Ninety-degree weather welcomed us home from Nashville yesterday. Mother Nature is giving us one last summer hurrah and it’s a doozy. Perfect time to fire up the grill and send summer off with some classics-dogs, burgers, corn on the cob, and POTATO SALAD. Ok, all I want is the potato salad. The rest is just window dressing for your benefit. I LOVE potato salad.
During our Houston trip, a delightful meal at Lucille’s Soul Food included potato salad. The potato salad was vinegar-based and not mayonnaise-based. Yes, it was tasty, but for me, a good old-fashioned classic potato salad is made with GOBS and GOBS of mayonnaise. When I was a kid my mom would buy the little plastic tubs of potato salad at the grocery store. Sweet and tangy, flecks of red and green from the pimento and relish all held together with Miracle Whip. Yep, fond memories for me. I also love the Japanese version of potato salad which omits pickles, has diced carrots, cucumbers, ham, and corn instead, and is held together with Kewpie Mayonnaise. It’s the first thing I attack in a Bento Box.
For the longest time, I was content with squelching my potato salad cravings by having it as a side with a deli sandwich. It didn’t occur to me that I could make my own until one day my co-worker Devon brought her Mom’s Potato salad to a potluck. With one bite, I had flashbacks of those long-ago summertime picnics when I shamelessly stuffed my face with potato salad.
Devon, “I NEED your Mom’s potato salad recipe.” Lucky for me she said yes.
What’s in it? White rose potatoes, plenty of mayonnaise, hard-boiled eggs, red onions, sweet gherkins, ballpark mustard (no fancy schmancy mustard needed), celery seed, Beau Monde seasoning, and salt & pepper. Over the years I have tweaked the recipe, but, at its core, it is still a classic potato salad. I have substituted sour cream for a portion of the mayo, added diced celery for extra crunch, or diced bell peppers for sweetness and color. If Wes makes it he will add a dollop of sweet relish for good measure.
The key is to boil your potatoes until they are soft but not falling apart.
When you mix it you want some of the potato to stay in little chunks and some to break down.
If you like old-fashioned potato salad..look no further..this is potato salad heaven.
Call Me Old Fashion...Devon's Potato Salad
Equipment
- 1 Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
Potatoes and Fixins
- 7 medium white potatoes boiled until very soft, cooled and peeled, diced
- 3 hard boiled eggs peeled and mashed
- 1/2 medium red onion diced
- 3 sweet gherkins diced
Dressing
- 1 tsp celery seed
- a couple of dashes of Beau Monde seasoning
- 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise approximate, to taste
- 1 tsp ball park mustard
- juice from the gherkins to moisten to taste and consistency
- salt and pepper to taste
- milk to moisten as needed
Riffs & Additions
- 1/2 cup sour cream to replace equal amount of mayo
- 1 stalk of celery diced
- 1/2 cup diced red or green bell pepper
- dollop of sweet relish to finish
Instructions
How to boil potatoes
Devon's mom boils the potatoes whole therefore so do I. But you can cut them up and boil them which would significantly reduce cooking time.
- Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water (an inch above potatoes)
- Add 1/2-1 teaspoon salt
- Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once it boils turn heat down to keep the water at a gently simmer.
- Whole potatoes will take approximately 40 minutes to cook. Test by piercing the potato with a knife or fork. It should be tender enough that the knife meets with little resistance.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce. Combine mayo or mayo-sour cream blend, mustard, celery seeds, couple of dashes of Beau Monde. Set aside.
- Drain and rinse under cool water. Transfer to a mixing bowl or colander.
- Dice potatoes approximately 1/2 -3/4 inch cubes. Place potatoes in a large bowl. Add red onion, pickles, and mashed hard-boiled eggs to bowl. Then add about 3/4 of mayonnaise-mustard sauce.
- Mix well but gently so you don't break up the potatoes too much. Adjust if you need more dressing or not. Add pickle juice, taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Add. more mustard if it needs some tartness. If it seems too dry add milk. It's all a guessing game for your tastebuds.
- You pretty much know the drill..go ahead and make it your own! Add corn or peas or try it with fancy mustard, its up to you. I have added diced chicken or ham to the salad.
- Put your salad in the fridge to chill and let the flavors meld.
- Garnish with parsley or chopped scallions before serving
One Reply to “Call Me Old Fashion (Devon’s Mom’s Potato Salad)”
Man…nothing like reminding me of what I haven’t had for a while. I know what I’ll be making this weekend…mmmm, potato salad…