the potato salad recipe

Do you remember THE Macaroni & Cheese Recipe? (If not, it is a must try.)  Per the request of many of you, below is THE Potato Salad recipe.

I am not a fan of mushy, mayonnaisey, traditional potato salad and we have a dear friend who has an aversion to vinegar, so, 99% of potato salad recipes out there won't cut it in our house. However, individually,  I love most of the ingredients that go into a potato salad. Recently, I played around a bit and came up with my own variation.  Try it, you'll like it too.

The quantities below are approximations (sorry, I am terrible at keeping track of things once I begin) but the technique is really what makes the difference. And this makes a very large salad to contribute to a potluck or BBQ. If I were making it just for our family, I would half the recipe and expect leftovers.

The Potato Salad

Ingredients
8 lbs of baby red potatoes, yukon golds or my very favorite, yukon reds (a yukon gold with red skin!)
1 lb bacon
5 eggs
handful of DILL pickles (6-7) or pickle relish
parsley
mayonnaise
Trader Joe's Garlic Aioli Mustard (or) dry mustard, garlic powder (or) dijon mustard & fresh minced garlic
Seasoning Salt
Sea Salt
Cracked Pepper


Dice your potatoes small enough that they are bite-size, skin on.  Fill a bowl large enough to house the potatoes with cold water and throw in a handful of salt and sugar.  Soak for at least 10 but up to 30 minutes.  For any roasted potato, potato chip or homemade french fry recipe the above is the secret step to crisp potatoes.  It really works. Thanks, mom!

Preheat oven to 425°

After 30 or so minutes, drain the potatoes, pat the potatoes and the bowl dry with paper towel or lint-free cloth. Return the potatoes to the bowl.

Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt & ground pepper, toss. Spread in a roaster pan (8 lbs requires my broiler pan and a jelly roll cooking sheet) or grilling pan.  Cook or grill for approximately 45 minutes, stirring at least once until potatoes are beginning to brown & crisp slightly.

In the meantime:

• Hard boil the eggs. (I bring the water to a boil, cook 3 minutes, turn the stove off and cover with lid until I'm ready to chop the eggs.) 
• Cook the bacon on the stovetop (I chop into little strips first but you can cook whole strips and crumble later as well.)  
• Chop pickles finely (or if you're lazy or in a hurry, throw in a few heaping spoonfuls of dill relish).  
• For the dressing: 
• Mix about 1.5 cps mayo with your desired "mustard" option until you have a hint of tang. I use about 3 tablespoons of Trader Joe's Garlic Aioli Mustard or a 1 tablespoon dry mustard and a tablespoon or more minced garlic. 
• Add a dash or your favorite seasoning salt. 
• Test the dressing. Add more mustard or mayonnaise as needed. 
• Peel eggs, remove egg whites and mash the yolk in with your mayonaisse/ mustard sauce.  
•  Chop remaining egg white.

 When the potatoes are browned, remove from the oven and toss with the cooked bacon, chopped egg whites, pickles and dressing.  Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley.

Let rest on the counter at least 30 minutes or refrigerate until 1 hour prior to serving. The salad is best served lukewarm or at room temperature.

To reheat, I toss it in a skillet on the stove top and heat until potatoes are soft and warm.

Sorry there aren't photos. The last few times I've served it we have been in too big of a hurry to eat it!

Enjoy!