# 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:** 8
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/21 "2008-01-02T16:17:34Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal]
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.
[/QUOTE]
I’ll eat that kind of potato salad, but it’s just about the opposite of the way I make it: my philosophy is to put everything stinky into the salad, and to use potatoes with a strong flavor, such as Yellow Finns or Yukon Golds.
Here’s my recipe:
> [@my family cookbook](#):
>
> Note that all measurements here are approximations; definitely do it by eye, rather than by measuring cup.
>
> 5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes. (Don’t substitute some bland white taters, either—it won’t be nearly as tasty)
> 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
> 2/3 cup olive oil
> Pinches or spoonfuls of herbs, including parsley, basil, and a little bit of thyme.
> 3 or more cloves garlic, crushed
> ¼ cup mayonnaise
> 2 stalks celery, chopped
> ½ cup pitted good olives, chopped
> ½ a medium-sized yellow onion, chopped
> 4 oz bleu cheese (rocquefort or stilton or whatever), crumbled
> salt and pepper to taste
>
> Cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces, and boil until tender but not dissolving. Drain.
> Meanwhile, mix the vinegar, oil, herbs, garlic, mayonnaise, and salt and pepper together into a dressing.
> Add the celery, olives, onions, and crumbled cheese to the dressing, until you have a nasty-looking slurry.
> Pour this slurry over the potatoes and mix it in well. Eat your first bowl of it while it’s hot, and then eat a bowl later after it’s refrigerated, and decide which you like better.
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### Author:  [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/22 "2008-01-02T16:17:41Z")
[QUOTE=Dolores Reborn]
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!
[/QUOTE]
Yeah, that B H & G cookbook has been around since the thirties and it’s an excellent reference for any kitchen. They update it periodically, but it’s always got recipies for most any occasion and uses common ingredients found in most kitchens or groceries.
Your point about thinly slicing the celery and finely chopping the onion is important too, big chunks of either spoil the taste and texture. Another point is to make it the day before and leave it, covered, in the fridge overnight. This allows the different flavors to meld and make it much tastier.
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### Author:  [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/23 "2008-01-02T17:02:21Z")
I really love the potato salad you sometimes get in Japanese restaurants. It’s quite mashy, in that there are few discernible lumps of potato. My impression is that it’s very softly cooked potatoes roughly mashed with plain mayo, and then mixed with finely sliced cucumber and grated carrot. It’s very mildly sweet. A few Japanese restaurants will serve a little scoop as part of their bento lunch, but the scoop is always too small! I wish I knew how to make it at home.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/24 "2008-01-02T17:38:15Z")
[QUOTE=teela brown]
It’s quite mashy, in that there are few discernible lumps of potato.
[/QUOTE]
My dad used to make mashed potato salad when we had leftover mashed potatoes.
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### Author:  [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/25 "2008-01-02T18:33:44Z")
I don’t have a real recipe either. I use either yukon gold or red potatoes cause I like 'em. Cube 'em and boil 'em. Let 'em cool. Chop up a little onion. Chop up a little dill pickle. Chop up a little celery, or not. Throw in a little sweet pickle relish. Add in some mayo. A little salt and pepper. Always turns out good.
The following recipe was given to me as “German Spring Potato Salad”. It’s light and really has a good taste to it.
Boil five pounds of red potatoes until tender. Allow to cool. Slice potatoes thinly (skin on). Finely chop one bunch of scallions. Mix together a quarter cup each of mayo and olive oil (a good vegetable oil will work too but olive oil is best). Mix potatoes, onions and dressing together. Sprinkle with black pepper. The worst part of this recipe is slicing all those potatoes.
Mustard is an abomination unto potato salad and those who use it should suffer the curse of the never ending paper cut.
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### Author:  [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/26 "2008-01-02T19:27:42Z")
[QUOTE=swampbear]
Mustard is an abomination unto potato salad and those who use it should suffer the curse of the never ending paper cut.
[/QUOTE]
😛😛😛😛😛
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### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/27 "2008-01-02T19:42:58Z")
[QUOTE=swampbear]
Mustard is an abomination unto potato salad and those who use it should suffer the curse of the never ending paper cut.
[/QUOTE]
Hmmmph. :rolleyes:
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### Author:  [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2008, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-salad/431957/28 "2008-01-02T20:12:27Z")
For best results, it MUST be refrigerated overnight to let the flavors penetrate the potatoes.
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