Classic Potato Salad

  What to do with new potatoes that need to be used? Well, in our house, you make potato salad. I really am not a fan of potato salad, but Lyle and Bettie are. This time, I decided to go back to basics and use a recipe for potato salad from Better Homes and Gardens. This recipe was in a special magazine issue of theirs called Cook’s Secrets.

  It was a good choice as they both thought it was excellent. There are leftovers for lunch tomorrow, and I even ate some. The dressing is very tasty. I added celery seed as we like it in salad dressing and used the potatoes cold. I feel that if you use warm potatoes, at least for me, they get mushy. Nothing nastier than mushy potato salad.

  Cook the potatoes the day before, with the skins on, and cool and refrigerate so that they are cold to use. I slip the skins as that is a personal preference. If you like the skins on leave them. I chose to use sweet pickle relish as I had it on hand, pickles chopped up work also. 

  The dressing was just the right amount so the salad was not dry. I believe I am going to try using the dressing with a pasta salad next, very tasty, sharp but not over the top. I used yellow mustard. If you are doing basics you need to use the standard yellow mustard, right? 

  The secret the recipe gives is to use a waxy potato variety and cook them with the skins on, just till a sharp knife inserts easily. Do not over cook.

Classic Potato Salad

2 lbs. New potatoes cooked with skins on. ¼ teaspoon salt added to water.

1 ¼ cups mayonnaise or salad dressing

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon celery seed (optional)

1 cup thinly sliced celery (about 2 stalks)

⅓ cup chopped onion (1 small)

½ cup chopped sweet pickles or ½ cup sweet pickle relish (use dill pickles if desired)

6 hard cooked eggs

  Cook the potatoes with the skins on, salt added. If they are large, cut in quarters. Cook just till a sharp knife will easily pierce the potato. Drain in a colander and cool. Refrigerate till next day. I have since made this and cooled the potatoes a short time.

  For dressing, in a large bowl stir together mayonnaise, mustard, the ½ teaspoon salt, and the pepper. Stir in celery, onion, and pickles or relish. Add the quartered potatoes and 4 coarsely chopped eggs. Gently fold in to the dressing.* Cover and chill for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours. When serving slice or quarter the two remaining eggs as a garnish. Sprinkle lightly with paprika if desired.

Per ¾ cup: 252 cal., 20 g fat, 360 mg sodium, 14 g carb., 2 g fiber, 5 g protein

*You are stirring the potatoes into the dressing not the dressing into the potatoes.