A sweet and savory summer favorite sure to be a hit at your next cookout, party, picnic, or social distancing "get together"
Potato salad is one of those staple summer side dishes where everyone has a special ingredient or trick to make it their own. I've been tweaking this recipe for years, pretty sure I started in my late teens, and it wasn't until someone made me a version with Miracle Whip that I figured out what was missing. The addition gave it a hint of sweetness that sweet gherkins alone can't provide. Below are some additional tricks I've picked up over the years to yield a more consistent and flavorful salad.
Cut the potatoes before you cook them, this ensures a consistent texture versus having some soft and some crunchy pieces
After you strain the potatoes, toss them with some distilled white vinegar; this step really adds a lot of flavor in the finished product
Let the potatoes cool completely before you put the salad together otherwise you'll end up with a soggy, runny mess
Make the potato salad at least four hours before you plan to serve it, preferably a day before, so that the different flavors have a chance to blend; when I first finish mixing the salad it usually tastes too salty, but after at least four hours the salt gets absorbed into the other ingredients leaving you with a great flavor throughout
If you don't like red onions, soak slices in some ice water for a few minutes to reduce the strength of the flavor
Varying textures in the salad are key, just not with the potatoes; add celery, onions, sweet gherkins or other ingredients that have a crunch to them to give the salad some complexity
Paprika, paprika, paprika! This under utilized spice give this salad some depth in the flavor profile
Add a little baking soda to the water for your hard boiled eggs, the shells come off so much easier; and use eggs that are a little older, the fresh ones are so much harder to peel
The recipe below serves roughly 10-14 people based on average serving size. Prep time and cooking time is about an hour.
INGREDIENTS:
9-12 Medium-sized Red Potatoes (washed and chopped into ½ - 1" chunks)
2 Tsp Salt
2 Tbsp Distilled White Vinegar
6 Large Hard-boiled Eggs (quartered and chopped)
½ Tsp Baking Soda
3 Stalks Celery (sliced lengthwise three times and chopped)
½ Cup Sweet Gherkins (halved and chopped)
⅓ Cup Red Onion (diced)
¾ Cup Duke's Mayo
¼ Cup Miracle Whip
2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 Tsp Paprika
½ Tsp Celery Seed
½ Tsp Celery Salt
½ Tsp Garlic Salt
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
DIRECTIONS:
Fill a large pot halfway with cold water and 2 tsp salt, add potatoes and bring to a slow boil
Once the potatoes come to a slow boil test them every minute or so until desired texture is reached
Drain potatoes and toss with white vinegar, allow potatoes to fully cool before mixing with other ingredients
Add eggs to a separate pot that has a lid and fill with cold water until eggs are covered by an inch, add baking soda to water and cover with the lid
Bring eggs to a boil and let boil for 1 minute, remove the pot from heat and let the eggs sit in the covered pot for 25 minutes
Drain hot water from pot and fill with cold water
Once eggs have cooled enough peel, cut in half and set aside until fully cooled
When potatoes and eggs are room temperature or colder, add to a large mixing bowl with remaining ingredients (celery, gherkins, onions, mayo, miracle whip, dijon mustard, garlic salt, celery salt, celery seed, paprika, salt and pepper)
Gently combine all ingredients with a large spoon or spatula until everything is well mixed
Refrigerate for at least four hours
Check the flavor of the potato salad and add more seasoning if desired
Transfer to serving bowl and garnish with paprika and quartered eggs
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