Poe-Tay-Toe . . . . .Salad

There are just some dishes that your mother always can make better than you can. I can make potato salad, but somehow, Mom's always tastes better. Maybe it is because I get creative with mine and hardly ever make it the same twice?? I like to have fun with my food.

Potato salad is one of those things that people usually have one kind that is their favorite. For example: some people use sweet pickles, some people dill pickles. Some people use red potatoes, some Yukon Gold and some russets. Some people mash their potatoes and some chunk them. Some use a vinagrette dressing, some mayonnaise-based dressing.

I like to mix it up. I usually look and see what I have lurking in the fridge.

Here is a potato salad that I made recently that was quite good.

I turned this:


Into this:


Potato Salad
Serves 8

5 Large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch dice
5 Large Eggs, boiled, peeled and diced
2 Stalks of celery, washed and diced small
1/2 large onion, peeled and diced small

First of all, boil your potatoes. Then, when potatoes are done cooking, drain them and put them in your serving bowl. Then toss the onion over top of your hot potatoes. This takes a little of the bite out of the onions and it smells good, too.

Put your eggs on to boil. Now, this is way that I cook my hard boiled eggs and they peel easily and do not turn green. Put the eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Put on the stove over medium-high heat. When the eggs begin to boil, set timer for 5 minutes. When timer goes off, turn off heat, but do not remove eggs from the stove. Let them stand for another 2 minutes. Then drain hot water off and cover with cold water. Let them stand for at least 10 minutes, drain that water off and cover them with cold water again. Let stand for another 10 minutes and then peel. Now we have a ceramic top stove, so I am not sure how this would work on a gas stove.

So, dice your eggs and toss with the potatoes and onions. Dice up your celery while your eggs are cooking and throw that in there too.

Now, for the dressing.

1/3 cup Italian salad dressing
3 Tablespoons prepared mustard - Dijon or yellow, does not matter
3/4 cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
1 heaping tablespoon pimento, minced or roasted red peppers, minced
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 Tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Now, these ingredients are approximate amounts, use more or less to your liking. I usually throw it in until I think it looks good. Stir it all up in a bowl.

I usually put my dressing on while the potatoes are still warm, I think it tastes better that way.

Stir it all up together. I garnished this with fresh chives and some black olives that were sitting in the fridge.

So that is my potato salad, and next time it will be different! I like to put sour cream in, cook the potatoes with crab boil in the water, use homemade dill pickles or our homemade jalapeno relish, put in some chopped green pepper, crumbled bacon, tiny chunks of cheddar cheese, green olives. My motto is be creative and if it works, write it down!!