Potluck Potato Salad

Potato salad is a must have for any BBQ, potluck or summer dinner. Heck, we eat it as a side dish instead of mashed potatoes for Easter! This is my potato salad that I learned from my mom and she learned from her mom and...well, you get the idea. It's so good! People always say how good it is and I have to agree. Don't worry about making the whole amount- leftovers are good for a couple of days and they actually get better as they sit.

Kind of like spaghetti does. Do you ever notice that? Spaghetti and potato salad are just some of those foods that get better as leftovers. Weird!

Potato salad is also one of those easy recipes to customize to your liking. Prefer sweet pickles over dill? Use those instead! Don't like hard boiled eggs, but enjoy the crunch of celery? Go for it!

Potluck Potato Salad

• 5 lbs potatoes, boiled, peeled and cubed into bite-sized pieces. 
• 3 hard boiled eggs, roughly chopped
• 2 dill pickles, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1-1/2 cups mayo (NO Miracle Whip or other salad-type dressings!)
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste
• paprika to garnish 

In a bowl combine all of the ingredients except the salt and pepper. Start with 1 cup of mayo and see how it looks before adding more. You want everything covered, but not loaded with mayo.  Mix well and taste. Add salt and pepper to your liking, I probably use 1/2-1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Stir again and taste; adjust seasonings. Sprinkle with paprika and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow flavors to meld. 

 

And that, my dear friends, is how you make one heck of a potato salad. You can add in a lot of different things, from celery to chopped cooked bacon to sliced olives. Or make it just like this and be prepared to fall in love with potato salad. Humble enough for every day and wonderful enough for special occasions too. 

Yum!