Searching for the Perfect American Potato Salad

Has anyone developed or come across a recipe for what, in their opinion, is the best American Potato Salad they've ever eaten? I've tried a number of recipes over the years, but I can't seem to find one that makes me want to say, "Eureka! I have found it!" Any assistance in my quest will be greatly appreciated!

KimChee. I am searching for these previous thread covering this issue of potato salad. I believe it was back in July

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

My grandma made the best potato salad. I especially liked the bits of sweet pickle, but then little boys like anything sweet.

KimChee, just my opinion but searching for the perfect American potato salad is like judging a most beautiful baby contest. Everyone thinks theirs is the best and they're all right.

It's easier to define bad potato salad:

mushy potatoes (or worst of all, leftover mashed potatoes)
insufficient spice/acid (bland supermarket potato salad)
lack of texture contrasts (I like potatoes, eggs, onions, celery, pickles and a bit of pimento, each not only for their unique flavors, but also for the variety of crisp/tender/starchy/chewy/soft/crunchy textures)
Unnaturally yellow color (mustard yellow - OK - food coloring yellow - NOT OK)

And, in the case of American potato salad: failure to use real mayonaise.

Eric, Wondering If Torching Miracle-Whip Trucks Would Be Seen As Something Other Than A Mission Of Mercy

Don't know the recipe, but Shapiro's Deli in Indianapolis makes a great one to my taste.

"Eric, Wondering If Torching Miracle-Whip Trucks Would Be Seen As Something Other Than A Mission Of Mercy"

YES, it would. MW definetely has it's place in the cholesterol laden blood-streams of Americans.

Sandwiches especially need MW. Homemade 1000 island does too.

My first (and last) wife always adds celery seed. This makes all the difference in thje world. Try it you'll like it.

OK, I brought the previous thread up out of the basement. Check it out for recipes that we are too lazy to retype

Thanks, everybody, for helping me out! EliseT: Thanks for bringing up the previous thread. I'm eager to try out some of the suggestions. My next question for all you experts is this: Is it worth the extra trouble to make homemade mayo for one's potato salad or should I just stick with Hellman's as I've always done? Maybe it's me, but I don't think there's that much difference between homemade mayo and Hellman's. My husband thinks otherwise. Maybe I should listen to him for a change?

I find commercial mayonaise acceptable, but, if you've got an immersion blender (hand blender), making homemade mayo is a 30-second process, and you can use more flavorful (or fresher) oil, more or less egg yolk, various seasonings, etc.

From a food safety perspective, there are lots of dire warnings about raw egg, especially for the very young, the elderly and the immunocompromised. For those populations, I would heed them - better safe than sorry. For adults and non-infant children with healthy immune systems, raw egg yolks are probably safe, and the easiest way to keep homemade mayo safe is to *not* shove it right into the refrigerator after making it. Alton Brown gives the timings in his book, _I'm Only Here For The Food_, and on the surface, his idea makes sense; by giving the acid and salt time at room temperature to do their job, the bacteria counts don't just stabilize, they plummet. If you're sufficiently interested to read more about this, try searching foodtv.com for the _Good Eats_ show on mayo.

Eric

VibrationGuy: Thanks for the info on homemade mayo!

Down in New Braunfels, TX area they make some pretty good german style partially mushy potato salad (well since it is made in TX you could consider it American) with bacon & no mayonaise. I liked it, wish I had some now

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quote:

Originally posted by VibrationGuy

It's easier to define bad potato salad:

mushy potatoes (or worst of all, leftover mashed potatoes)
insufficient spice/acid (bland supermarket potato salad)
lack of texture contrasts (I like potatoes, eggs, onions, celery, pickles and a bit of pimento, each not only for their unique flavors, but also for the variety of crisp/tender/starchy/chewy/soft/crunchy textures)
Unnaturally yellow color (mustard yellow - OK - food coloring yellow - NOT OK)

And, in the case of American potato salad: failure to use real mayonaise.

Eric, Wondering If Torching Miracle-Whip Trucks Would Be Seen As Something Other Than A Mission Of Mercy

quote:

Originally posted by pennypincher

Down in New Braunfels, TX area they make some pretty good german style partially mushy potato salad (well since it is made in TX you could consider it American) with bacon & no mayonaise. I liked it, wish I had some now.

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Messed that up. A case of sending before I typed

I thought that "Texas was a whole 'nother country"?

My wife makes the best potato salad that I've ever eaten. Don't know all the ingredients but several things that she does include are: Hellmann's mayo (are there others?), dill relish, French's Classic Yellow mustard to taste and finely chopped onions

My family thinks I make the best potato salad so I will tell you some of the secrets that I gleamed from my grandmother. First, make it simple: potatoes (I like new potatoes with their skins), Hellman's mayo, celery, onion and salt and pepper. Here's the secret: combine all vegetables, add salt and pepper. Then heat up a 1/2 c. mayo, 1 T. mustard and 1T. cider vinegar until warm and mixed together. Add to veggies. Then add additional mayonnaise to taste. It's delicious.

If you don't have time to do it yourself, I have a tip. There is a company in Baxter Springs, Ks., that as far as I know does nothing but crank out potato salad of many different varieties. I can't recall the name of the company, but their products are widely available. When I was managing truckstops, I made a name for my places by doing nothing more than rotating different styles of this product on the buffet line. They make at least ten different styles, and all are of high quality.

ALWAYS add about 1/2 a chopped onion to your potatoes when cooking, then the other half finely chopped to your other ingredients. I know.....I've said that before.

OMG!!!!!! I'm a CHEESEBURGER!!! Oh happy day. Yes, I'm easily amused...

From "Along the Way" The life of Elinor Haymond Bradford
(my Mama, as a matter of fact)

Elinor's World Famous Potato Salad
(This recipe is in demand for all types of social occasions from picnics to wedding receptions. This recipe must be kept in the family and only shared with dear and trusted friends.)

4 lbs of potatoes, boiled whole, then diced when cooled
4 stalks of celery, diced
1 Large onion, diced finely
6 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 TBLSP Celery Seed

For Dressing:

In large iron skillet:
Fry one lb of bacon, chop when done and return to skillet, do not drain!
1 cup white sugar
2 TBLSP Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup flour
3 TBLSP French's Yellow Mustard
1/2 tsp salt
2 Well beaten eggs.

Mix all together until becomes a semi-transparent mixture. Let cool slightly and add 1 to 1 1/2 cup Hellmans'Mayo untill desired flavor is achieved. Pour over Chopped Vegetables and cool in refrigerator.


As I am now disowned from my family now, y'all have to adopt me

The way you cook, I'm sure you'll have no trouble finding a new family

Here's my recipe for potato salad...use amounts to your personal taste. I could make an entire meal off this:

Red potatoes, peeled, cubed, and boiled with salt and a tbsp. or so of corn oil.

Diced bell pepper
Diced pimentoes
Diced sweet onion
Diced celery
Hard boiled eggs, grated
Diced Mt. Olive dill pickles, (not kosher)
Dukes mayonaisse to hold it all together
Paprika and ground black pepper to sprinkle on top.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeSh

"Eric, Wondering If Torching Miracle-Whip Trucks Would Be Seen As Something Other Than A Mission Of Mercy"

YES, it would. MW definetely has it's place in the cholesterol laden blood-streams of Americans.

Sandwiches especially need MW. Homemade 1000 island does too.

My aunt in Canada makes great potato salad and mac salad. I found out she was using Miracle Whip, which I hate! Do they use a different formula in the Canadian version (If this sounds farfetched, note that the same brands of pickles and potato chips are different in Canada)?

lol...thanks Ms. Elise for the vote of confidence

Here is my method of making potato salad and I get many requests for it:
Boil Yukon Gold Potatoes (up to 5 lbs.) until you can stick a fork all the way through one, and cube potatoes
I also boil my eggs w/the potatoes and take then out before the potatoes are done
Add several large tablespoons of sweet pickle relish
4 boiled eggs chopped up fine
1 small sweet onion
Chopped celery or celery salt
Plenty of salt and pepper to taste
Add a mixture of mayo and Mircle Whip to mixture until well moistened
Top w/a generous sprinkle of paparika

Some elements I like in the basic potato salad... chunky potatoes, Hard-cooked eggs, chunky also, Bacon- lots of bacon pieces (not fake Bacon Bits). Sweet Red Onion and small pieces of Scallions. Small chunks of Sweet AND Dill Pickel, Celery, Green Pepper, MAYO- NO MUSTARD !

When I used to work in Dallas one of our caterers made some of the best potato salad using red potatoes with the skins on... Only they obviously did NOT clean them well enough... nothing worse than getting a nice amount of DIRT with your potato salad... really irritated me... So good, yet so bad...

mine - no seriously, I think it's just a matter of taste. I like big chunks of potato, boiled eggs, chopped onion, celery, green onion, a few drops of vinegar, and very light on the mayonaise (I combine all the ingredients ahead of time, add the mayonaise just before serving).

You will probably get all kinds of recipes and everyone's favorite posted, I would say next to a lack of seasoning, I believe the one thing that ruins most potato salads is too much mayonaise.

what's really nasty is any or all of the following in potato salad...

* baking potatoes instead of either red or yukon gold potatoes--baking potatoes are way too mushy and absorb the dressing. Don't slice them, either,...chunk them up.

* my former MIL used to mix mayo and MILK in her dressing--made it very watery. Everyone always raved over the potato salad, but I think it was because she did all the work for it; I'd eat it to be polite, but that's about it.

* too much celery seed

*Miracle Whip! enough said.