One thing I love most about the spring and summer are all of those delicious picnic foods! Is there anything that says summer more than potato salad?! Of course there's nothing like homemade! Those pre-made potato salads can sometimes have a waxy texture to them, that's why I always make my own! There are a few tricks to making the perfect potato salad and I'm about to save you the trial and error. First-start with cold water. Second-infuse as much flavor as you can into the potatoes. I do this by adding vinegar, sugar and salt to the water when I boil the potatoes. Then after straining I sprinkle with these three ingredients once again. Lastly: Use real mayonnaise. I’m not saying you have to whip up your own. Just stay away from the fancy kinds and stick with regular, full-flavor mayo!
Ingredients
- 5 lbs. Russet potatoes, peeled, rinsed and cubed
- 2 tbsp. vinegar
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- 2 tsp. salt
Dressing
- 2 c. real mayonaise
- 1 stalk celery, minced
- ⅛ c. yellow mustard
- ⅛ c. dijon mustard
- ⅓ c. whole milk
- ¾ tsp. seasoned salt
- ½ tsp. fresh cracked pepper
Additions to Water (for boiling)
- 2 Tbsp. vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. salt
- 2 Tbsp. sugar
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with cold water. Add 2 tbsp. each of vinegar, sugar, and salt to the water. This will help infuse the potatoes with flavor. Add cubed potatoes and bring pot to a boil. It is very important to start with cold water when bringing to a boil to ensure that the potatoes cook evenly. If you don't they can become mushy on the outside and undercooked on the inside.
- Cook until the potatoes are fork tender. For me, it took about 15-17 minutes to bring the pot of potatoes to a boil, then I cooked for an additional 7 minutes.
- Strain potatoes and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons salt. Give a quick toss being careful not to smush the potatoes. Set aside to cool.
- Combine dressing ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until fully incorporated.
- Once the potoates have cooled off, stir in the dressing. Serve with a celery leaf for garnish (optional).
Notes
- I prefer Hellman's mayonnaise for this dish, it seems to give the best flavor to the dressing.
- If you'd like to dress up the salad a bit, one could add whatever you like. Some ideas: minced green pepper, chopped hard-boiled egg, chives, or bacon!
