American potato salad
Summer calls for picnics on the lawn with potato salad. Here's the recipe to get you started.
Simple yet delicious potato salad, American style.
Sue Lau/A Palatable Pastime
With warmer weather comes potato salad!
This is a simple version which is quite like what is sold in the supermarket and has a basic dressing. If you like you could dress this up by adding things such as crumbled bacon or hard-cooked eggs.
The dressing may seem a bit runny to you but trust me, warm potatoes absorb that readily and the salad as a whole thickens up, so the consistency is planned that way.
I don’t use pickle relish in this recipe although it is a common ingredient. Instead, I chose small capers, which give a little tartness without being sweet or dill tasting. I think you might like it!
I also use a bit of celery seed in this since I didn’t want to use celery itself. As well I did not use onion – in keeping with what I usually don’t see in market salads. Plus, some people just don’t like to see onion, but will accept it as a ground ingredient. Most of the seasonings are like the visual appearance of deli potato salad, which I wanted to copy a little bit. I might have used jarred pimiento if I had it – pimiento is roastier and raw bell pepper is more crisp, but they are pretty much interchangeable.
American potato salad
Serves 6
5 medium russet potatoes
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup cold water
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon small drained capers
1 tablespoon dried snipped chives
1-1/2 teaspoons celery seed
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon mild paprika
4 slices cooked crumbled bacon (optional)
3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped (optional)
1. Cook potatoes in jackets in boiling water until fork tender.
2. Drain and cool until you can handle them, then peel off skin and chop coarsely.
3. Whisk together the remaining ingredients for the dressing except the potatoes, bacon and eggs.
4. Gently fold all ingredients together in a mixing bowl and chill until cold.
Related post on A Palatable Pastime: German potato salad