Best Potato Salad

I love late spring & early summer when the weather is warm enough on the West Coast to share meals with friends & family in the outdoors. When picnic season comes around there is nothing more popular than a potato salad. Whether you are attending a potluck you can rest assured that you will be asked for this recipe once your family & friends taste it. This is the best potato salad ever!

I have given you lots of options to make this yummy salad to suit your group, no matter what their dietary preferences are.

Serving Suggestions for your Picnic:

Pair your Potato Salad with other fresh crunchy salads. A simple green salad and a Coleslaw like Cilantro Lime Slaw is a perfect combination. Some sliced meats and cheeses (real or vegan versions) pair really well plus a chilled rose or chardonnay. You might also like to bring a delicious herbed lemonade for an Italian touch to your picnic.

For desert, some fresh fruit is the perfect choice.

Here’s how to make the Best Potato Salad

Ingredients

The Basics

• 3 pounds red potatoes, cut into cubes
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 cups mayonnaise (Best Foods Light & Veganaise are my favorites)
• 1/3 cup chopped dill pickles
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard ( I like Tarragon Dijon with this salad)
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, diced (omit for vegan version)
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 3 green onions, diced
• sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
• optional toppings: smoked paprika or Montreal Steak spice

The Extras

You can experiment with custom seasonings to add texture and flavor to this salad

Some Ideas to make it Your Own Best Potato Salad:

Add bacon: Make sure to cook it till the bacon crispy and drain any extra fat on a paper towel first.

Add fresh herbs: Feel free to also mix any fresh herbs you might love — chives, dill, Italian parsley, cilantro, basil, thyme, etc. — into this potato salad.

Add extra pickles: I LOVE pickles and so does my family so I usually chop some extra dill pickles into this recipe

Add extra eggs: My mother in law always slices an extra hard boiled egg on top for decoration and extra protein

Method

Although there is a bit of preparation-this salad comes together with ease!

Dice your potatoes into large pieces.  Then add them to a large Dutch Oven and cover with generously-salted cold water. Cook until the potatoes are tender. 

Drain the potatoes in a colander, return them to the pot & drizzle with apple cider vinegar. Let cool while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Now the sauce: Meanwhile, whisk together the mayo, celery salt, mustard and pickle relish in a medium bowl until evenly combined.

Toss everything together: Once the potatoes are ready to go, add in the mayo mixture, diced eggs, celery and onion.  Toss gently until evenly combined.

Season: Taste and season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Montreal Steak spice & Mrs Dash are also tasty additions

Chill: Transfer the potato salad to a serving bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 1-2 hours before eating.

Make ahead: You and make this salad up to 2 days ahead of time and keep it refrigerated in a covered container.  On picnic day, just transfer to a serving bowl and garnish the top with extra herbs/sliced eggs etc.