# Potato salad
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [January 2, 2008, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957 "2008-01-02T01:59:51Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/1 "2008-01-02T01:59:51Z")
My mom made the best potato salad. She learned the recipe from my dad’s mom. Haven’t had it in years. Decades, more like. And now it’s too late. She did give me her ‘recipe’ once, but I lost it before I had a chance to try it out. She said she didn’t have a ‘recipe’, but just sort of made it. ‘My Big Secret, Ha ha [she always said it that way, with a fake laugh], is that I soak the mustard seeds in vinegar.’ Of course I don’t know how many mustard seed or how much vinegar. Or what else went into it. Potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, celery, onion… What else?
A restaurant (Ohana) near my office makes some macaroni and potato salad that I like. Wouldn’t mind knowing how to make that.
Anyway, let’s hear how you make your potato salad!
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### Author:  [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/2 "2008-01-02T02:21:07Z")
Solid potato salad! It’s the groovy, move-y solid jack!
[http://www.metacafe.com/watch/145193/solid\_potato\_salad\_the\_ross\_sisters/](http://www.metacafe.com/watch/145193/solid_potato_salad_the_ross_sisters/)
Potatoes, celery, onion, egg – but also bacon, celery seed, and pickle relish.
Mom used Miracle Whip, which I can’t abide, so I use mayonnaise. I use dill pickle relish. Sweet = suxor
NO MUSTARD! Mustard is anathema.
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### Author:  [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/3 "2008-01-02T02:22:03Z")
I like a very simple, slightly sweet potato salad. I don’t want it all full of crunchies and weird stuff. Especially onion. (I love onion, but I love watermelon too and I don’t want it in my potato salad either.) Starchy potatoes lightly salted, sliced not diced, some thickened dressing, and maybe just a hint of black pepper.
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### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/4 "2008-01-02T02:25:14Z")
A have no recipe. Red potatoes, a little chopped onion and garlic. Hellmann’s mayonnaise. Some times a hard boiled egg, chopped, for every two potatoes. Salt and pepper, some mustard to taste. Chopped celery.
I like to mash some of the potato so that there is a thick creamy sauce to the salad.
Frickafree: being from Ohio, where do you stand on the sugar in cornbread issue? :dubious:
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### Author:  [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/5 "2008-01-02T02:29:14Z")
Potatoes, bacon, eggs, whole-egg mayonnaise.
Boil potatoes until you remember to take 'em off the stove. Chop bacon into little squares and fry until ultra-crispy. Boil eggs until just hard, cool and chop. Mix. Throw on as much or as little mayonnaise as you can bear (hubby likes it ultra-mayonnaise-y). Stir. Chill. Eat.
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### Author:  [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/6 "2008-01-02T02:31:09Z")
[Alton Brown has a good one, and he soaks the potatoes in vinegar overnight. Kinda sorta like your Mom.](http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_18577,00.html)
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### Author:  [@Sticks\_and\_Scones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sticks_and_Scones)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/7 "2008-01-02T02:32:00Z")
My best friend’s favorite potato salad…
No recipe, but the dressing is about 1/3 mayo, 2/3 sour cream. Add some melted butter to the cooled baked potatoes. Then add some salt and pepper, cheddar cheese, chives, and real bacon pieces. Toss to mix, then add dressing untill well coated.
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### Author:  [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/8 "2008-01-02T02:39:52Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant]
Frickafree: being from Ohio, where do you stand on the sugar in cornbread issue? :dubious:
[/QUOTE]
I stand firmly with **Silenus** on that one.
And I live in Ohio, but I’m not from here. I’m from West-by-God-Virginia. I don’t like sweet tea, either. I may be an anomaly. 😃
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### Author:  [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/9 "2008-01-02T05:22:14Z")
I haven’t made this in years. IIRC, it’s a pretty good nontraditional pot salad for barbecues.
Cube potatoes (one half to one inch) and boil until tender. Add mayonnaise, coarsely chopped mild onion and bell peppers to taste. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and chill several hours to allow the flavors to mix and the onion to mellow.
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### Author:  [@bathsheba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bathsheba)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/10 "2008-01-02T09:36:41Z")
Fry bacon in butter. Add the bacon and melted butter to the potatoes with sour cream, fresh chives and fresh dill. The trick is to do this while the potatoes are still hot which allows them to absorb the flavours better. And the other trick is telling every-one that yes, it’s low-fat.
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### Author:  [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/11 "2008-01-02T10:21:14Z")
The big secret is pickles - you have to buy a jar of German pickles (those Germans know how to make 'em and have lots of varieties) and we find “Hausfrauenart” to be the best version for potato salad. You can find them at most specialty stores. Chop them into small pieces and add just a bit of the juice to give flavor. You can also add some small pieces of apple to give the potato salad some “crunch” and flavor.
Oh, and don’t be shy about adding plenty of pepper.
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### Author:  [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/12 "2008-01-02T10:26:36Z")
BTW, the so-called “German potato salad” that is warm with bacon, vinegar and oil and onions is rarely seen in Germany except in Bavaria. Most people I met in Berlin had never even heard of it, let alone taste it, in their lives.
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### Author:  [@Silence\_of\_the\_clams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silence_of_the_clams)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/13 "2008-01-02T11:41:41Z")
I abhor mayonnaise, so I like my potatosalad thus:
Boiled potatoes with the skin cut into cubes and mixed with olive oil, lime, balsamic vinegar, chopped chilis, chopped onions, flaked salt, a good crack of pepper, fresh timian, fresh spinach leaves, rocket salad, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese and roasted pine seeds.
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### Author:  [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/14 "2008-01-02T14:23:09Z")
Here’s my recipe:
Mom’s Potato Salad
8 medium potatoes (I like red ones)
2 hard boiled eggs, diced
1-2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
½ onion, finely chopped
¼ green pepper, finely chopped
1 small jar diced pimento
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
½ teaspoon celery seed
½ teaspoon dried parsley
Salt
Pepper
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
3-4 tablespoons Miracle Whip salad dressing
Dash salad vinegar (optional)
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
Boil the potatoes (whole, unpeeled) until just done, about 15-20 minutes. Dump them in a colander and cool. Peel and large dice and put in a large bowl. Add eggs, celery, onion, green pepper, pimento (with juice), and relish. Add seasonings to taste. Add mustard, then “some” Miracle Whip. I start with 3-4 tablespoons, then mix it up. If too dry, add a little more. Now taste. If too sweet, add a dash of vinegar. If too tart, add a little sugar. Makes about 6-8 servings.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/15 "2008-01-02T14:29:23Z")
I’ve seen Miracle Whip a couple of times here. I wonder if that’s what mom used? We had Miracle Whip and not mayonnaise when I was growing up.
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### Author:  [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/16 "2008-01-02T14:35:08Z")
Cubed boiled potatoes, mayonnaise, thinly sliced spring onions or challots. Mix to taste. If you can’t find the last, use garlic mayo.
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### Author:  [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/17 "2008-01-02T14:52:32Z")
[QUOTE=Dolores Reborn]
Here’s my recipe:
Mom’s Potato Salad
8 medium potatoes (I like red ones)
2 hard boiled eggs, diced
1-2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
½ onion, finely chopped
¼ green pepper, finely chopped
1 small jar diced pimento
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
½ teaspoon celery seed
½ teaspoon dried parsley
Salt
Pepper
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
3-4 tablespoons Miracle Whip salad dressing
Dash salad vinegar (optional)
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
Boil the potatoes (whole, unpeeled) until just done, about 15-20 minutes. Dump them in a colander and cool. Peel and large dice and put in a large bowl. Add eggs, celery, onion, green pepper, pimento (with juice), and relish. Add seasonings to taste. Add mustard, then “some” Miracle Whip. I start with 3-4 tablespoons, then mix it up. If too dry, add a little more. Now taste. If too sweet, add a dash of vinegar. If too tart, add a little sugar. Makes about 6-8 servings.
[/QUOTE]
This is pretty close to what my mom made and I’ve been using the same basic recipe myself for several decades. It’s very close to the recipe found in the Better Homes and Gardens cook book. You can alter it to your taste, I prefer a bit more egg and I think the celery seed is a key ingredient. The pimento is basically for color. Almost everyone compliments me on my potato salad.
I usually use Miracle Whip, but mayo is OK too.
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### Author:  [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/18 "2008-01-02T14:54:50Z")
Lately I’ve been putting in chopped jarred roasted red pepper instead of the pimento - I always have it on hand! I get lots of compliments too - I bet my Mom got it from the cookbook!
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### Author:  [@Judith\_Prietht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Judith_Prietht)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/19 "2008-01-02T14:59:18Z")
My mom puts a little bit of canned tuna in her potato salad. Apart from that, it’s potatoes, macaroni, celery, a bit of relish, salt, a little mayonnaise (she hates the stuff, but feels it necessary in potato salad) and lots of white pepper.
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### Author:  [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/20 "2008-01-02T15:39:42Z")
In one restaurant I worked at while in high school, I made it all the way up the food chain to Salad Bar. The potato salad recipe there (made in big 20lb batches) included a tsbp of French dressing instead of mustard. I try when I make potato salad to throw in a little of it.
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