I love potato salad. When I was a teenager, I used to go to family barbecues and they would buy me my own container of potato salad. I would eat that much on my own.
Looking back, that probably wasn’t the healthiest thing for me, but I don’t regret that potato consumption one bit. Potato salad is still one of my favorite side dishes on the planet, and now I make it all the time!
Crouton Crackerjacks has an awesome recipe for potato salad that I’ve been loving to make lately. With July 4th coming up here in the states, it’s my new BBQ staple.
His secret ingredient is mashed potato flakes, and it really helps the dressing bind to the potatoes. It makes such a difference, now I can’t make a potato salad without them!
What you’ll need:
- 3 lbs russet potatoes
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 2 tbsp sweet pickle relish
- 2 tsp distilled white vinegar
- 2 tsp prepared yellow mustard
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp instant mashed potato flakes
If you like your potatoes peeled for potato salad, peel them. Then chop the potatoes into cubes. Soak the potatoes to remove excess starch, then rinse them 3-4 times, or until the water is clear.
Throw the cubes into a large pot and cover them with cold water, about an inch above the potatoes, then turn on the heat. This ensures the potatoes cook evenly.
Salt the water generously, then cover and boil for exactly 10 minutes. You want just a little bit of give in the potatoes before they break apart. Boil your eggs either with the potatoes or separately, whichever you prefer.
Drain everything in a colander, fish out your eggs, and place them in cold water to stop the cooking process. Cool your potatoes completely (about 30 minutes,) before your next step.
Remove the shells from your eggs. Chop your eggs, onions and celery how you like them. Combine your mayo, mustard, sugar, salt, vinegar, and relish. Add your onions and celery, and mix well.
Add your cooled potatoes and gently toss so the potatoes don’t break apart too much, but you get everything well incorporated.
At the very end, add your potato flakes and toss those in to bind everything together. Trust me, this makes a huge difference.
Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve. These are great garnished with some green onion. Sometimes for an extra kick I add a little garlic powder as well.
That’s it, perfect potato salad for all of your summertime needs!
How do you make your potato salad?