There is a secret cooking method for Perfect Potato Salad that yields TOP results each and every time!

Potato Salad is always on the menu for cookouts, barbecues and picnics. I have a recipe for Perfect Potato Salad just in time for Memorial Day Weekend and the Fourth of July…. it serves a crowd! I made this batch to get ready for our family Memorial Day weekend. Perfect Potato Salad is even better the second day, so it is an easy make ahead side dish for casual entertaining.

There is an old saying “a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”. I’ve heard it, you’ve heard it and well…..there is some truth to this point!

Picture this:
Young housewife. (YHW)
YHW has an adoring husband who LOVES hamburgers (enter COPA).
YHW builds hamburgers into the weekly meal plan rotation with enthusiasm and zeal due to limited cooking ability (enter ME).
Husband references baked beans and potato salad as potential hamburger accompaniments to balance out the tater tots YHW offers with each hamburger meal. He even offers to help!
YHW is Southern, and calls her Great Aunt Amy in Jacksonville, AL for the secret to makings Perfect Potato Salad.
Husband is happy.
Young housewife is happy.
Great Aunt Amy thinks her girl is finally figuring things out!
All is well.

Seriously, this happened.

I felt like I had climbed Mt. Everest once I mastered the secret to making Perfect Potato Salad! Copa is a sweetheart, and he ate all the failed attempts of mediocre potato salads I spooned onto his plate in our early years. But after my phone call to Great Aunt Amy, things changed. By the way, this a fabulous side for Pulled Pork!

My early attempts yielded bland results. My blame immediately rested on the mayonnaise. It’s a big component to potato salad, and each brand tastes different. It had to be the mayonnaise, right? So,   I tried different mayonnaise variations (organic, name brand, house label) and still the potato salad did not taste like the Southern potato salads I grew up with in Alabama.

The Secret for Perfect Potato Salad

Great Aunt Amy told me the secret to Perfect Potato Salad….you have to season the water before cooking the potatoes.

BOOM.

That’s what I had been missing all along! Rather than swap out mayonnaise brands (I’m pretty sure I once spent $6 on a jar!) the secret is in the water. The water…not the dressing!
Geez Louise. I sure did have a lot to learn!

The water infuses the starchy potato and gently flavors each cube, resulting in fabulous potato salad!

Now, you probably knew the season-the-water-secret already. And that’s great. But maybe, just maybe, you too are one whose cooking repertoire is well….. a little limited. So, for you, I have this photo below showing you exactly how my seasoned water looked when boiling rapidly:See those huge chunks of Vidalia onions, celery stalks (sorry, Bloody Marys!) and chicken broth? That rapidly boiling water looks a little messy because it is seasoned! 🙂 Oh yum! Here we go….

For this recipe, I used Sweet Vidalia Onions and Idaho Potatoes.

I selected Vidalia onions for my Perfect Potato Salad because the sweetness balances nicely with the tangy mustard. Note: We weren’t compensated from anyone in Vidalia, GA or Bland Farms or Idaho Potatoes. We simply want to share the USA grown veggies that we use on a weekly basis!

The one item you won’t find in my potato salad: chopped, boiled eggs.
Nope. Nada. They aren’t there and never will be!

For all the haters out there who I know will say “it’s not Southern potato salad without chopped eggs”, here’s the deal: I cannot stand eggs in their natural state. This includes, but is not limited to, eggs that are scrambled, fried, deviled, boiled, chopped or gussied up omelet style. No thank you. Eggs deliciously disguised in cakes, cookies, breads and puddings are ok, but nothing more.

Let’s get back to making Perfect Potato Salad sans chopped eggs…….

Now, once your seasoned water is boiling, toss the cut potatoes in and let them soak up the goodness! Your cooking time will vary based on the size of your pot, oven, etc. Just make sure you keep a close eye on the potatoes. The smaller the cubes, the faster they cook. Your target is to transfer them to a strainer for draining while they are still a little firm….otherwise they will turn mushy when you mix in the dressing.

Gently fold the dressing mixture into the still warm potatoes.

Here’s a teensy but super important note: Potato salad must be kept cold at all times. It loves the cold and needs the cold. Once you make your Perfect Potato Salad, please make it happy and place it straight into your refrigerator!

Take It To The Tailgate Tip: Store Perfect Potato Salad in a flat plastic container with a tight-fitting lit like the one in our photos. Layer ice on the bottom of your cooler, and place the potato salad container in next. Since the container is flat, you can place other items all around and on top of it….the potato salad benefits from being surrounded in chill temps!

OR…glam up that tailgate or picnic with a super cute insulated hot/cold casserole carrier like this one. Yep, it’s Auburn colors, but it also comes in an adorable trellis pattern in cobalt blue!

There’s a reason why potato salad has been a summertime hit for several generations of casual entertainers. Perfect Potato Salad is a really good traveler (hello there, summer picnic!) and is a great side dish for cook outs…game-day tailgate anyone???

Perfect Potato Salad

A tried and true southern gem: Perfect Potato Salad!

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Servings 8

Ingredients

  

Seasoning for water

• 2 slices sweet Vidalia onion
• 1 stalk celery with leaves if possible
• dash salt and pepper
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 10 cups water

Potato Salad

• 10 cups raw potatoes chopped and skinned
• 1 small sweet Vidalia onion finely chopped
• 3 cups mayonnaise
• 3 tbs mustard
• 1 cup celery finely chopped
• dash paprika

Instructions

 

• Pour water and chicken broth into a large dutch oven. Add onion slices, celery, salt and pepper. Bring to a rolling boil on high heat.
• Add chopped potatoes to the seasoned, boiling water. Turn down heat to medium-high so the water to does not boil over.
• While the potatoes cook, make the potato salad dressing in a large boil. Mix together mayonnaise, mustard, celery and onion. Stir to mixed.
• Cook potatoes 8-10 minutes depending on preference. Do not over cook.
• Drain potatoes and turn them into prepared dressing bowl. Mix gently until well coated. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Notes

Take It To the Tailgate Tip: Place potato salad in a plastic container with a tight fitting lid. When traveling, pack the potato salad in the bottom of your cooler. Pack ice around and on top of potato salad to keep cool. Pack other items on top of potato salad container.