Creamy mayo goodness with yellow mustard, pickles, eggs, herbs and veggies. This one is hard to beat. After many mouthfuls of the stuff, this is the winning combo.
The Classic Barbecue Side Dish
Every barbecue restaurant, deli counter, or backyard cookout usually has some form of potato salad. I’ve eaten it thousands of times over the years and in multiple states. This one is by far my favorite version.
What do I need to make this Potato Salad?
- Yukon Gold Potatoes: Gold potatoes have the best flavor, texture, and color for this recipe in my (correct) opinion. In a pinch, you could get by with Russet Potatoes. But, I would probably not use red potatoes. I think the waxy texture would not be great in this preparation.
- Mayonnaise: NOT miRaCLe wHip! Miracle Whip belongs in the trash. If you have miracle whip, throw it in the garbage and go buy REAL mayonnaise. Also, get mayo that uses avocado oil or olive oil. I like this brand. Soybean oil or canola oil should only be used as industrial lubricants, not as food. If you are like me, you may be a “machine”, but you’re not an actual machine. So, we don’t need overly processed oils.
- Celery and Red Onions: Crunch and flavor. That is the goal here. Potatoes, eggs, and mayo on it’s own can be a bit mushy and boring. It’s nice to have some varying textures to wake it up a bit. Plus, the flavor that comes with these items really works well with the dish.
- Bread and Butter Pickles: This one I will allow some freedom of choice. If you prefer dill pickles, I think it would work just fine. I will switch between the two, depending on the day. The bread and butter pickles are pretty sweet, which work well when paired with the saltiness of the mayo.
- Eggs: Eggs add another layer of texture. The yolks kind of dissolve into the mayo and mustard mixture and give the sauce slightly silkier texture. Plus eggs are a superfood and make you big and strong!
- Yellow Mustard: Yellow mustard is the classic cookout condiment. It helps add a bit of flavor and tang to the sauce, while keeping it traditional and simple. Grab a bottle or two HERE.
- Maple Syrup: Another layer of sweetness to balance everything out. Most potato salads will call for sugar to be added, or worse….they will use miRaCle wHipP! Maple syrup will add the sweetness we need, without the overly processed ridiculousness of white sugar or the dumber, faker version of imposter mayo. Grab a bottle HERE.
- Spices: For this one we are adding Celery Seed, Dry Dill, and Sea Salt. For the salt, you may want to use a little less and adjust for flavor. Sea salt, kosher salt, iodized salt, pink salt….they all have a slightly different saltiness. Another factor is the size of the salt….course vs finely ground can affect the flavor some as well. Always taste as you go.
How do I make this Potato Salad?
It’s pretty simple, really. Lots of chopping and boiling.
- Boil the eggs: For the eggs, start with boiling water on the stovetop. Carefully add the eggs with a slotted spoon, to avoid cracking on the bottom of the pan. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and place the eggs under cold running water, or into an ice bath. This stops the eggs from continuing to cook, as well as cools them sooner for quicker peeling and chopping.
- Boil the potatoes: When I boil potatoes, I usually start by adding the chopped potatoes to an empty pot. I then cover the potatoes with a few inches of cold water and then bring them to a boil. I used to drop them directly into boiling water. But, after splashing boiling water on yourself a few times, as the potatoes tumble into the pot, you find other ways of completing this task. Once the boiling has started, you will want to check the potatoes for doneness, every few minutes. Remove a potato from the boiling water with a slotted spoon. Stab it with a fork. If the potato is easily pierced with a very slight amount of resistance, it is done. I then dump them into a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. We don’t want mashed potatoes, so don’t let them go too long.
- Chop the veggies and eggs: The key is to chop everything small enough to allow for a little bit of everything in each bite. But, not so small that you lose the texture of the veggies. We want the crunch, without making them too big.
- Mix it up real nice: Add all of the prepared ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix it gently. Think of it as a folding movement. Insert your spatula in at the edge of the bowl, scooping down and under to the bottom of the bowl, and then pulling everything up and over on top of itself. Continue until all ingredients are fully mixed and then stop.
Other Mayonnaise Based Delicacies:
Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 5 cups Yukon Gold Potatoes
- 1 cup Mayonnaise NOT MIRCLE WHIP!!!!
- 1 cup Celery, chopped
- 1/2 cup Red Onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup Bread and Butter Pickles
- 4 each Eggs, hard boiled
- 3 each Green onions, sliced, green and white parts
- 2 tablespoons Yellow Mustard
- 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup
- 1 teaspoon Celery Seed
- 1 teaspoon Dry Dill Double or triple if using fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
Instructions
- Bring small pot of water to a boil. Add eggs and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from stovetop and place under cold water to stop cooking and begin to cool eggs.
- While eggs are cooking, chop the potatoes into roughly 1/2"-3/4" cubes, depending on your preference (and mouth size)
- Add potatoes to stock pot and cover with cold water. Place on stove and bring to boil over high heat. Cook potatoes until they can be easily pierced with a fork. Probably around 10 minutes, depending on size of potato pieces. The safest bet is to check them periodically with the fork. FORK IT!
- Once the potatoes are easily pierced when forking them, remove from boiling water into a colander and rinse with cold running water to stop the cooking process and cool the potatoes slightly. This will prevent the potatoes from overcooking, due to the residual heat inside the potato pile.
- In the meantime, begin chopping your celery, pickles, red and green onions.
- Peel and chop the hard boiled eggs into eight pieces each. (cut length wise, then cross wise, and then cut each of the four pieces into two pieces, for a total of eight). Repeat for each egg.
- Place the cooked potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Add all remaining ingredients and stir gently until just combined.
