potato salad

[Mfamom]

I'm pretty picky about potato salad.  Maybe a potato salad snob! 
I think too many people don't let it sit in refrigerator before serving.  Some just has terrible flavor.  My friend brought some last night.  she thinks she's a potato salad rock star.  I never tried hers before because she puts eggs in it and I don't eat eggs.  she left the eggs out and I tried it.  It was horrible!!!  tasted tart and vinegary.

Regular  potato salad I use regular potatoes, salt, white pepper, mayo, a squirt of mustard, tiny bit of celery seed, relish, sometimes a bit of pickle juice, onion.  keep seasoning to taste. Then, I let it sit overnight. 

red skin potato salad, red skin potatoes cut and soak in a bit of chicken stock, salt, thin sliced vidallia onion, sour cream, a squeeze of mayo, lots of fresh dill, again, sit overnight in refrigerator or serve later if I make early in morning.

how do you all make it? 

[GoingNuts]

I swear I can't write it out, I have to do it, LOL!

And no matter how I try, I can't get it to come out as good as my mom's.

I love potato salad, and I love all different kinds.  Adore German potato salad with or without bacon.  Yum.

My mom used red potatoes, and mixture of mayo and nonfat yogurt, red onion (scallions are good too), salt, pepper, a little vinegar...  I know I'm leaving something out, but I swear I need to actually get into the kitchen to figure it out.  No recipe, no definite proportions.  Always done by sight and taste.

[Mfamom]

yeah, that's how I do mine....i make a lot of food that way, I make awesome baked beans, but I couldn't write out the recipe
this potato salad my friend made just had a taste that really turned me off.  Not sure what it was.  she left it here, looks like mayo, celery and something leafy/green not sure what spice that is.  I think she put some type of vinegar in it. 

[nameless]

yeah - I'm not one for overly mayonaisse'd potato salad nor too vinegary. I find my own balance by using plain greek yogurt (I like Fage b/c it's not too sweet) and a little of the olive oil mayonaisse. I don't add any extra vinegar, but might use a squeeze of lemon.  Then just all sorts of add-ins.

I do make straight mayo ones, but to cut down on the mayo and make it "thicker" (that resting part in the fridge) I'll mash up a few potato chunks mix that into the mayo mix.

Adrienne

[Mfamom]

i love fage yogurt.  I only like plain yogurt....years ago, yoplait had plain yogurt that was so amazing....reminds me of Emme's plain yogurt (can't find it here anymore)
I switched to greek yogurt, but like you said, some are sweet....the only ones i like are fage, yoplait and another one don't know the name. 
I'm going to try putting yogurt in mine next time.  thanks for the tip

[nameless]

i love fage yogurt.  I only like plain yogurt....years ago, yoplait had plain yogurt that was so amazing....reminds me of Emme's plain yogurt (can't find it here anymore)
I switched to greek yogurt, but like you said, some are sweet....the only ones i like are fage, yoplait and another one don't know the name. 
I'm going to try putting yogurt in mine next time.  thanks for the tip

it's half no-fat fage and half olive oil mayo --- what I like is that it makes it thick too and has just enough tang. I think last time I did it I also smashed up a few potato chunks in it too before mixing with the rest...really helps the texture of it feel "homestyle" and not drippy. Sometimes I'll do sour cream + mayo too, and I'll drain the sour cream with cheese cloth to get it thick thick. This is "baked potato salad" recipe w/ bacon, scallions, salt, pepper, cheddar, sauteed onion, and some tomato.

Adrienne

[YouKnowWho]

Potato salad is such a personal thing.  I think most of us prefer our own recipe or family recipe that it's hard to find a recipe that suits others, if that makes sense.

I grew up with a Miracle Whip based potato salad.  Also had celery, a little onion, hard boiled eggs and potatoes in perfect one inch chunks.  I have come close to achieving it but not close enough in my book.

Now that eggs and mayo are off the table, I have to do more of a vinegar based dressing which is okay but it's not what I grew up with...

It's tough though because DH would eat my family's version and not be happy because he was used to his family's version if that makes sense. 

I am still not used to the fact that they insist on raisins in cole slaw.  I grew up with a father who thought raisins were the devil and married a man who thinks raisins belong in cole slaw, carrot salad, brownies, red cabbage, etc  I can deal with the brownies (think raisinets) and the red cabbage but raisins in mayo based salads are just blech.

[Mfamom]

Yeah, its funny because some things I'm indifferent to when they have variations.  Potato salad not one of them. 
One friend mixes all the stuff in a bowl (onions, mayo etc.) pours it on top and serves.  Potato salad is one of those things that gets better after sitting in the refrigerator awhile. 
LOL forgot about raisins in coleslaw....I'm hot and cold with raisins.  don't like them much in coleslaw though. 
I use tmarzetti cole slaw dressing and it is so good.  I don't like drippy cole slaw, just a quarter of the bottle is perfect for one bag of coleslaw.  I add celery seed sometimes.  Just a tiny bit. 

[Macabre]

DH made the best potato salad I've ever eaten yesterday. It wasn't yellow.  And we didn't have pickle relish, so he chopped up some pickled okra. And I think he included some poblano.  Wow. I'm going to go have some right now.

[GoingNuts]

Raisins do not belong in cole slaw.  End of story. 

If you want raisins in that kind of salad, have carrot salad.  But raisins in cole slaw is probably against several laws of nature. 

[Scout]

i soak my cooked potatoes in italian dressing, just enough to cost in the fridge overnight, them put all the goodies and mayo in......it is yummy

[Janelle205]

We went to visit a different camp this summer with my CITs, where we had lunch.  I obviously brought my own food, but everyone else ate their food.  The cook came out to tell us what was for lunch, and said that he had never made a potato salad before, but he thought his was pretty good.

The camp director that came with me tried it.  In the car after we left, she asked if anyone else had tried the potato salad.  Apparently the cook made it with raw potatoes.

[GoingNuts]

 

[Mfamom]

oh wow...raw potatoes.  can't even imagine that!  thanks for the giggle. 

[becca]

I do the half mayo, half low fat sour cream, and mine has to have eggs.  I love eggs in my potatoe salad.  Now that I am a Fage fan, I couls swap th ehsour cream for the lf sour cream.  I use a similar blend for chicken salad.  For seasoning/add-ins in my potato salad, I use celery, red onion, some vinegar or I could use sweet pickle juice, but not too sweet or sharp with those, salt, fresh groung black pepper, fresh choped parsely.  That is about it.  Oh, when the potatoes are hot, I toss with a splash of olive oil and cider vinegar and salt and pepper.  I think I got the general recipe from Silver Palate or ther New basics cookbook, and I do it from my head now.  I rarely measure for any meals that I cook.  Only the first time with a recipe, then, I generally do it from my head.

I had a friend once do a potato salad that also had some jicama and diced ham in it.  it was very good.  I have done a Moosewood one, that had extra veggies.  it was ok, but not traditional.  My crowd liked it, but they like odd salads, something different. 

Cole slaw.  Hate heavy, drippy cole salw.  All I do is a bit of light mayo, apple cider vinegar, small amount of sugar or honey, celery seed, scallions, and salt and pepper and toss it all with a bag of the shredded slaw.  If I shred my own, I will do more red cabbage than is in the bagged mixes.  Love the color.  Like it heavy on carrots too, if I do my own work.  I would not think to add raisins to it and the thought turns me off.  I like the fresh, clean taste, and making it too sweet would ruin that. 

I do like german potato salad too.  I will try most, but tend to find store made ones too pickly and wet.