Salad: 'Tis the season for Potato Salad

Subject: 'Tis the season for Potato Salad
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
From: Wayne (waynebw at att.net)
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 05:47:56 GMT
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_Traditional_, mayonnaise-based potato salad...what do you put in it?

Celery?
Celery Seed?
Sweet Pickles or Dill Pickles or both or not at all?
Stuffed Olives?
Hardboiled eggs?
Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip or maybe homemade boiled dressing?
Sour Cream?
Mustard?
Onion or Scallions or not at all?
Fresh parsley?
Fresh dill?
Lots of dressing or just to coat or somewhere in between?

What's your favorite? Recipes? I make mine up as I go along. :-)
From: Sam D. (blueewater at greenham.org)
Date: Sat, 12 Jun 2004 23:33:15 -0700
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After a long time of making potato salad many different ways, it's now become pretty standardized for me. I use russet potatoes boiled in their skins. I peel and dice them them when they have cooled to a lukewarm stage. I used to wait until they were completely cooled or refrigerated but I found that the potatoes absorb more flavor from the other ingredients if you mix everything while they are still a bit warm.

I add salt, pepper, finely chopped onion, celery, bell pepper, parsley, celery seed, dried dill weed and a little Heinz relish. The dressing is half mayonnaise and half sour cream, a bit more than just enough to coat it when mixed. The optional ingredient is mustard, either dijon or regular, but if I add any it is a very small amount. My *never* ingredients are eggs and Miracle Whip.
From: Wayne (waynebw at att.net)
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 08:40:27 GMT
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Sam D. wrote:
> After a long time of making potato salad many different ways, it's now
> become pretty standardized for me. I use russet potatoes boiled in
> their skins. I peel and dice them them when they have cooled to a
> lukewarm stage. I used to wait until they were completely cooled or
> refrigerated but I found that the potatoes absorb more flavor from the
> other ingredients if you mix everything while they are still a bit
> warm.
>
> I add salt, pepper, finely chopped onion, celery, bell pepper,
> parsley, celery seed, dried dill weed and a little Heinz relish. The
> dressing is half mayonnaise and half sour cream, a bit more than just
> enough to coat it when mixed. The optional ingredient is mustard,
> either dijon or regular, but if I add any it is a very small amount.
> My *never* ingredients are eggs and Miracle Whip.

Overall, mine often ends up much the same as yours. I also never use eggs or Miracle Whip. I use red potatoes, peeled and diced, then cooked. When drained and still hot I toss with a few tablespoons of chicken broth and cider vinegar and allow to cool a bit and absorb the liquid before adding the other ingredients. I sometimes use relish, but more often use diced midget gherkins. I usually skip the green pepper as it doesn't like me. :-) I use onion or scallions and add sour cream to the mayo if I have it. Otherwise, everything else is pretty much the same. I like hardboiled eggs, but never understood the fascination for puting them in potato salad.
From: penmart01 at aol.como (Sheldon)
Date: 13 Jun 2004 11:26:55 GMT
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Duh'Wayne wayneb writes:
>>I use russet potatoes boiled in their skins. I peel and dice them
>
>I use red potatoes, peeled and diced, then cooked.

What's with the wussy food-tv style diced potatoes, good home made potato salad s'posta be thinly sliced... and iffn ya dice or otherwise cut em up before boiling ya gots, well potato shit... I don't believe either of yoose have in yer miserable litttle lives have ever actually made potato salad, or cooked anything else for that matter, 'cept in yer food-tv viewing dreams.... maybe yoose done microwave popcorn, once.
From: Bill (bigc300 at carolina.rr.com)
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 11:46:16 GMT
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Sheldon wrote:
>What's with the wussy food-tv style diced potatoes, good home made potato salad
>s'posta be thinly sliced... and iffn ya dice or otherwise cut em up before
>boiling ya gots, well potato shit... I don't believe either of yoose have in
>yer miserable litttle lives have ever actually made potato salad, or cooked
>anything else for that matter, 'cept in yer food-tv viewing dreams.... maybe
>yoose done microwave popcorn, once.

Sheldon...back under the bridge!
From: rmi1013934 at aol.com (Rosie Miller)
Date: 13 Jun 2004 13:21:33 GMT
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>What's your favorite? Recipes? I make mine up as I go along. :-)

Me Too. But they usually include, besides potatoes, --onion, celery, Best Foods Mayonaise ( or Hellman's depending on which part of the country you live in ) Bacon, hard boiled eggs, celery salt, and maybe some sour cream if I am feeling decadent.
From: MisNomer (misnomer at shaw.ca)
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 13:24:45 GMT
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I like the potatoes / eggs / miracle whip salad, to that I add radishes, and cucmbers (no seeds - keeps better) and sometimes pickles and or dill, or bacon bits (home made)

take care
Liz
From: rosie read and post (readandpost at yahooORhotmail.com)
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 09:15:22 -0500
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thanks all, i will make some today and use a few new idea's that i learned in this thread!
From: Gregory Morrow (gregorymorrowTHEKISSINGBANDIT at earthlink.net)
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 20:53:44 GMT
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rosie read and post wrote:
> thanks all, i will make some today and use a few new idea's that i
> learned in this thread!

One more idea: I make a dressing out of the hard - cooked eggs and whatever else I use (mayo, vinegar, olive oil, stone - ground mustard, etc.). Simply combine yer hard - boiled eggs and yer dressing ingredients in a blender or processor and mix. I don't like the texture of pieces of hard - boiled egg so this takes care of that problem. Folks rave about it, so I must be doing something right....

Oh, and don't forget to PEEL your celery - nothing is more gross than stringy celery....
From: Wayne (waynebw at att.net)
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 23:48:23 GMT
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Gregory Morrow wrote:

> One more idea: I make a dressing out of the hard - cooked eggs and
> whatever else I use (mayo, vinegar, olive oil, stone - ground mustard,
> etc.). Simply combine yer hard - boiled eggs and yer dressing
> ingredients in a blender or processor and mix. I don't like the
> texture of pieces of hard - boiled egg so this takes care of that
> problem. Folks rave about it, so I must be doing something right....

I'm going to give this a try, Greg, since I don't like pieces of hardboiled eggs in my salad. Thanks for the tip!

> Oh, and don't forget to PEEL your celery - nothing is more gross than
> stringy celery....

I agree, but I only use the center ribs of celery and they never seem
stringy.
From: Chris Neidecker (cneidecker at verizon.net)
Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2004 11:18:59 GMT
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I enjoyed a great, but non-traditional, potato salad at my son's little league picnic on Sunday. The guy who made it shared these secrets: he used 2 teaspoons of Coleman's English mustard (note: that gave 6 pounds of potato salad a very mustardy look and flavor...strong stuff!), and grilled the potatoes and red onions using one of those mesh grill-wok thingies. You'd never have guessed that the potatoes (halved redskins) had been grilled. There was mayo in the dressing, and fresh parsley. Not sure what else was in the dressing, but that was it. Really good!
From: Wayne (waynebw at att.net)
Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2004 12:13:44 GMT
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Chris Neidecker wrote:
> I enjoyed a great, but non-traditional, potato salad at my son's little
> league picnic on Sunday. The guy who made it shared these secrets: he used
> 2 teaspoons of Coleman's English mustard (note: that gave 6 pounds of potato
> salad a very mustardy look and flavor...strong stuff!), and grilled the
> potatoes and red onions using one of those mesh grill-wok thingies. You'd
> never have guessed that the potatoes (halved redskins) had been grilled.
> There was mayo in the dressing, and fresh parsley. Not sure what else was
> in the dressing, but that was it. Really good!

That does sound really good! Do you know if it was teh Coleman's dry mustard or the prepared mustard in a jar?

Thanks for posting this!
From: Dora (limey at giveitup.com)
Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2004 10:24:46 -0400
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Wayne wrote:
> That does sound really good! Do you know if it was teh Coleman's dry
> mustard or the prepared mustard in a jar?

I always use mustard in potato salad - out of the jar. Two teaspoons of Coleman's powdered mustard would be overpowering - two teaspoons of the regular creamy type would be about right for an average salad.

I boil potatoes in their skins, remove the skins while they're still warm and slice. While the potatoes are still warm, I add chopped onion, chopped celery, celery seed, chopped green bell pepper, salt and pepper, Hellmann's mayonnaise and some vinegar. We like it with a slight kick - not bland. I also use hard-boiled eggs - both in the salad and with parsley sprigs as a garnish. I also make it the day before I serve it, so all the flavors blend.
From: penmart01 at aol.como (Sheldon)
Date: 15 Jun 2004 15:08:57 GMT
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limey writes:
>I always use mustard in potato salad - out of the jar. Two teaspoons of
>Coleman's powdered mustard would be overpowering - two teaspoons of the
>regular creamy type would be about right for an average salad.

That's why I don't believe that fercocktah story . . . yeah, really enjoyed by *little leaguers*.
From: Wayne (waynebw at att.net)
Date: Wed, 16 Jun 2004 04:10:04 GMT
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Dora wrote:
> I always use mustard in potato salad - out of the jar. Two teaspoons
> of Coleman's powdered mustard would be overpowering - two teaspoons of
> the regular creamy type would be about right for an average salad.

Thanks, Dora. As I think of it, 2 teaspoons of dry mustard would indeed be a lot of mustard.
From: byakee at COLDmail.com (byakee)
Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2004 17:09:36 GMT
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Hark! I heard Wayne say:
> That does sound really good! Do you know if it was teh Coleman's dry
> mustard or the prepared mustard in a jar?

Does Coleman's make prepared mustard? All I've ever seen was the dry variety. Still, 2 teaspoons of that stuff sounds like a *lot*...
From: Wayne (waynebw at att.net)
Date: Wed, 16 Jun 2004 04:11:05 GMT
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byakee wrote:
> Does Coleman's make prepared mustard? All I've ever seen was the dry
> variety. Still, 2 teaspoons of that stuff sounds like a *lot*...

Yes, they do, but I don't believe it's widely distributed. I can get it locally at some stores but not others. I've only seen it in rather small jars.
From: The Cook (susan_r23666 at yahoo.com)
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 13:41:42 GMT
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Wayne wrote:
>_Traditional_, mayonnaise-based potato salad...what do you put in it?

My SIL's recipe.

Potatoes
Eggs
Onion
Celery
Mayonnaise
Salt
Pepper
Herbes de Provence.

She has a friend who goes to France each year and brings back herbes de Provence. She shares.
From: hahabogus (not at valid.invalid)
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 14:14:03 GMT
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The Cook wrote:
> Potatoes
> Eggs
> Onion
> Celery
> Mayonnaise
> Salt
> Pepper
> Herbes de Provence.

What! no radishes?
From: mpoconnor7 at aol.comnojunk (Michael O'Connor)
Date: 13 Jun 2004 18:59:55 GMT
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My stepmom has a really good PS recipe that used both Miracle Whip and Eggs; that recipe is the only way I can eat Miracle Whip.

I prefer a sour cream-bacon PS, and I make my own relish of sliced jalapenos from the jar that I run thru the food chopper, which I add to the PS. And I use Yukon Gold potatoes, and dice them before boiling them. To that I add salt, pepper, celery salt, and diced onion.
From: Terrel (xyzowlhorse at xyznetzero.netxyz.invalid)
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 10:18:41 -0400
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Wayne wrote:
>_Traditional_, mayonnaise-based potato salad...what do you put in it?
> <snip>
>What's your favorite? Recipes? I make mine up as I go along. :-)

Here's my favorite recipe:

Potato Salad

3 medium boiling potatoes (about 1 pound)
2 eggs
1 medium stalk celery, chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

1. Peel the potatoes. Cut any large potatoes in half. Add one inch of water to a large saucepan. Cover the saucepan and heat the water to boiling over high heat. Add the potatoes. Cover and heat to boiling again. Once the water is boiling, reduce heat just enough so that the water bubbles gently. Cook covered until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork (about 20 to 25 minutes). Drain the potatoes and allow to cool slightly. Cut potatoes into cubes.

2. While the potatoes are cooking, place eggs in medium saucepan. Cover the eggs with cold water, and heat to boiling over high heat. Remove the saucepan from the heat, cover the saucepan, and let stand covered for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes drain the water, then run cool water over the eggs for a few seconds. Peel and chop the eggs as soon as they are cool enough to handle.

3. Mix the mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Gently stir in the potatoes, celery, and onion. Then gently stir in the chopped eggs.

4. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours to blend the flavors.

This is a pretty basic recipe, but it's a favorite with my family.
From: hahabogus (not at valid.invalid)
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 16:04:55 GMT
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Terrel wrote:
> Here's my favorite recipe:

Penzey's sweet curry powder is a nice change in potato salad.
From: Wayne (waynebw at att.net)
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 18:20:52 GMT
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hahabogus wrote:
> Penzey's sweet curry powder is a nice change in potato salad.

That's one of my favorite curry powders. It makes a nice change in many dishes.
From: penmart01 at aol.como (Sheldon)
Date: 13 Jun 2004 16:13:42 GMT
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>Terrel claims:
> Here's my favorite recipe:
> 3 medium boiling potatoes (about 1 pound)
> 2 eggs
> 1 medium stalk celery, chopped
> 1/4 cup chopped onion
> 3/4 cup mayonnaise
> 1/2 tsp white vinegar
> 1 1/2 tsp mustard
> 1/2 tsp salt
> 1/8 tsp pepper
> <snip>
> This is a pretty basic recipe, but it's a favorite with my family.

Hmm, yoose go through all that for a measly pound of potatoes... it's obvious you glommed that recipe off the net, you never made it or any other potato salad.
From: Gregory Morrow (gregorymorrowTHEKISSINGBANDIT at earthlink.net)
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 20:57:58 GMT
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Sheldon wrote:
> Hmm, yoose go through all that for a measly pound of potatoes... it's obvious
> you glommed that recipe off the net, you never made it or any other potato
> salad.

At minimum I never use less than five pounds of spuds...and sometimes much more....

Heck that recipe with one pound of potatoes and a rib of celery wouldn't adequately serve two anorexics for lunch....
From: penmart01 at aol.como (Sheldon)
Date: 13 Jun 2004 21:41:00 GMT
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Gregory Morrow says:
>At minimum I never use less than five pounds of spuds...and sometimes much
>more....
>
>Heck that recipe with one pound of potatoes and a rib of celery wouldn't
>adequately serve two anorexics for lunch....

"Zactly. And the poster claimed that was his family's favorite... who cooks a pound of anything for a family. For potato salad I figure a *minimum* of one pound of spuds per person (usually 2lbs/per)... I make pretty good potato salad... no one yet has eaten less than a pound's worth (I mean like a pound of potato salad at the deli is only a scant pint container and that began with two pounds of potatoes). And I wouldn't consider dirtying utensils let alone spend my time for less than 5lbs. Anyone ever weighed 5lbs of spuds after cooking and paring, lucky there's 3 1/2lbs.

Hint: use potato boiling water for the next batch of stock.

Btw, I often boil potatoes to accompany meat loaf (usually mashed); de-eye, than pare... then I grind the parings with the meat... get all the minerals and fibre that way... no one has ever discerned that there's spud tailings in my meat loaf, all they taste is *good*. First sign of a real cook, nothing edible in the trash. Waste not.
From: Terrel (xyzowlhorse at xyznetzero.netxyz.invalid)
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 21:26:10 -0400
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Sheldon wrote:
>Hmm, yoose go through all that for a measly pound of potatoes... it's obvious
>you glommed that recipe off the net, you never made it or any other potato salad.

That's a slightly revised recipe from a Betty Crocker cookbook I bought in 1998. I make it with one pound of potatoes if it's going to be four of us eating. Whenever I make that potato salad I also make cole slaw (recipe from the same book, also a family favorite), so between the cole slaw and the potato salad, there's plenty for four of us.

If I'm making potato salad and cole slaw for more than four of us, I double or triple the recipes, depending on the number of people.

> And the poster claimed that was his family's favorite...

That should be "her family's favorite".
From: Liz (misnomer at shaw.ca)
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 18:40:41 GMT
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Looks like a good recipe. Here is a trick I learned from my step mom... boil the potatoes and the eggs together - bring to a boil and turn off heat, wait 20 minutes and both are done. The other thing she did was peel and cut up potatoes so that it needn't be done after.
From: penmart01 at aol.como (Sheldon)
Date: 13 Jun 2004 18:45:27 GMT
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Liz wrote:
> The other thing she did was peel and cut up potatoes
> so that it needn't be done after.

Yup, and then toss the potato goodness down the drain... potato salad with no potato flavor, real smart.
From: Liz (misnomer at shaw.ca)
Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2004 04:24:07 GMT
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Sheldon wrote:
>Yup, and then toss the potato goodness down the drain... potato salad with no
>potato flavor, real smart.

I always have good reviews, YMMV, I also like to eat potatoes raw but that doesn't suit the toothless people in the family
From: Pennyaline (nsmitchell at spamspamspamspamspamqwestandspam.com)
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 08:23:52 -0600
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Wayne asks:
> _Traditional_, mayonnaise-based potato salad...what do you put in it?
>
> Celery?

Yes.

> Celery Seed?

Nope. I reserve that for cole slaw.

> Sweet Pickles or Dill Pickles or both or not at all?

Sweets.

> Stuffed Olives?

Black olives.

> Hardboiled eggs?

You bet!

> Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip or maybe homemade boiled dressing?

MIracle Whip is verboten in my house. Mayo only.

> Sour Cream?

No.

> Mustard?

Yes indeed!

> Onion or Scallions or not at all?

Onions -- sweet, and the greens from scallions (chives are too mild and provide no texture).

> Fresh parsley?

No.

> Fresh dill?

Only if I haven't use pickles.

> Lots of dressing or just to coat or somewhere in between?

Lots, and lots and lots!

Make it a day ahead -- heaven!
From: The Joneses (famjones at swbell.net)
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 14:56:26 GMT
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Wayne wrote:
> _Traditional_, mayonnaise-based potato salad...what do you put in it?
> Celery?
> Celery Seed?
> Sweet Pickles or Dill Pickles or both or not at all?
> Stuffed Olives?
> Hardboiled eggs?
> Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip or maybe homemade boiled dressing?
> Sour Cream?
> Mustard?
> Onion or Scallions or not at all?
> Fresh parsley?
> Fresh dill?
> Lots of dressing or just to coat or somewhere in between?
> What's your favorite? Recipes? I make mine up as I go along. :-)

My favorite is a change of pace from mustardy recipes: skip the egg, mustard & pickle and add a generous pinch of tarragon, keep the celery, using lo fat mayo these days. Plop a nice red wine pickled beet in the center.
Edrena, beetin' the heat
From: address.in.sig at nyc.rr.com (Curly Sue)
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 16:48:42 GMT
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Wayne wrote:
>What's your favorite? Recipes? I make mine up as I go along. :-)

Alan Harding on "Cookin' In Brooklyn" made a potato salad with all of the above and a few other things. He has a "throw in the kitchen sink" approach to cooking that ends up looking interesting in some cases (eg. the potato salad) and agita-precipitating in others (eg. his chili).

I use my mother's recipe:

potatoes
eggs
celery
stuffed green olives
dill pickle
Hellman's mayo
onion
salt, pepper
From: sportkite1 at aol.com (Ellen)
Date: 13 Jun 2004 17:14:44 GMT
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Wayne wrote:
>_Traditional_, mayonnaise-based potato salad...what do you put in it?

Nothing fancy.

Red Skin Potatoes
Hard Boiled Eggs
Chopped Celery & Shallots
Lots of chopped parsley
Mayo, Sour Cream, Dijon Mustard plus a dash of dill pickle juice
Salt and Pepper

I make up the dressing, adding it to the slightly cooled potatoes and mix well so the starch from the potato stiffens the dressing. Add the remaining ingredients, mix and chill.

Had dinner with the MIL last week. She had some crudites left over from a dinner party the night before. She ran the carrots, celery, broccoli and radishes through the food processor to chop finely and added it to red skin potatoes with a typical mayo-mustard dressing plus some chopped leftover olives and fresh herbs. It was pretty good if not traditional.
From: Paul M. Cook©® (pmBERMUDA_SHORTScook at gte.net)
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 19:59:37 GMT
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Wayne wrote:
> _Traditional_, mayonnaise-based potato salad...what do you put in it?
>
> Celery?

yep

> Celery Seed?

absotutely. biting into those tiny seeds just adds another textural element

> Sweet Pickles or Dill Pickles or both or not at all?

dills

> Stuffed Olives?

hell yes, no need for much more salt with some good olives

> Hardboiled eggs?

of course, on top and lightly sprinkled with paprika

> Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip or maybe homemade boiled dressing?

mayo - no need for sugar

> Sour Cream?

sure, I mean what the heck

> Mustard?

yes

> Onion or Scallions or not at all?

sweet onions

> Fresh parsley?

yes, very good flavor enhancer

> Fresh dill?

yes, adds an herby complexity

> Lots of dressing or just to coat or somewhere in between?

yes, tons

> What's your favorite? Recipes? I make mine up as I go along. :-)

Ad lib all the way here. Never pay much attention to ingredients. Best to have a wide range of bowl sizes available, you never know how much you'll end up with.
From: Wayne (waynebw at att.net)
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 22:25:44 GMT
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Paul M. Cook©® wrote:
> Ad lib all the way here. Never pay much attention to ingredients.
> Best to have a wide range of bowl sizes available, you never know how
> much you'll end up with.

Sounds like me, Paul. I'll use either sweet or dill pickles, and eggs on the top if I use them (don't like 'em mixed in). I usually start out making what I think will be a small amount. It usually fills a big bowl!
From: Kswck (kswck at optonline.net)
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 22:53:22 GMT
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Wayne wrote:
> _Traditional_, mayonnaise-based potato salad...what do you put in it?

Potatoes(red), celery, mayo, dried celery leaves, red pepper, red onion, hard boiled eggs, mustard, pepper.
From: Gloria Puester (puester at worldnet.att.net)
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 23:01:56 GMT
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Wayne wrote:
> _Traditional_, mayonnaise-based potato salad...what do you put in it?

Depends on my mood, the menu, and what I have at home.

> Celery?
usually, or lovage if it's in season
> Celery Seed?
usually
> Sweet Pickles or Dill Pickles or both or not at all?
not usually
> Stuffed Olives?
nope
> Hardboiled eggs?
nope
> Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip or maybe homemade boiled dressing?
Hellman's or a vinaigrette
> Sour Cream?
sometimes
> Mustard?
yes
> Onion or Scallions or not at all?
yes, or chives
> Fresh parsley?]
yes
> Fresh dill?
sometimes
> Lots of dressing or just to coat or somewhere in between?
lots because the potatoes abostb it like sponges
> What's your favorite? Recipes? I make mine up as I go along. :-)

Me, too. I add small shrimp if I'm feeling festive.
My MIL used to make a wonderful German Potato Salad but I've never tried to duplicate it.
From: D.Currie (dmbcurrie.nospam at hotmail.com)
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 22:17:40 -0600
--------
Wayne wrote:
> Celery?
> Celery Seed?
> Sweet Pickles or Dill Pickles or both or not at all?
> Stuffed Olives?
> Hardboiled eggs?
> Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip or maybe homemade boiled dressing?
> Sour Cream?
> Mustard?
> Onion or Scallions or not at all?
> Fresh parsley?
> Fresh dill?

All of the above, but not all of them all the time...I make it up as I go along, and it depends on what I have on hand, but there are some things that are "musts" and some that would be only on a whim. Also...and I can't believe no one else does this, but sometimes a bit of horseradish for a little extra "zing."

If I'm out of celery, I might add thin-sliced raw carrots for color and crunch. Sometimes green peppers, fresh from the garden. Or red ones, if they're nice and crisp.

I also make a vegetable salad where about half of the potatoes are replaced with veggies -- carrots, peas, beans, corn, peppers, whatever I have on hand. Carrots are parboiled so they're still firm, but not so crunchy. Peas are usually frozen, uncooked. Beans and corn are cooked. Pepper, raw. But however you like it, or whatever is on hand works fine. When I make the veggtie salad I cut the potatoes smaller to match the size of the veggies better.
From: Wayne (waynebw at att.net)
Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2004 05:38:44 GMT
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D.Currie wrote:
> I also make a vegetable salad where about half of the potatoes are
> replaced with veggies -- carrots, peas, beans, corn, peppers, whatever
> I have on hand. Carrots are parboiled so they're still firm, but not
> so crunchy. Peas are usually frozen, uncooked. Beans and corn are
> cooked. Pepper, raw. But however you like it, or whatever is on hand
> works fine. When I make the veggtie salad I cut the potatoes smaller
> to match the size of the veggies better.

Sounds like a nice variation!
From: Koko (Pstarkoch15 at hotmail.com)
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 21:30:01 -0700
--------
Wayne wrote:
>What's your favorite? Recipes? I make mine up as I go along. :-)

This is the recipe I use and it turns out great. It is a good basic recipe that allows for your own touches to it.

Bud's Wisconsin Potato Salad

Categories: salads/dressing

16 medium-small potatoes
3/4 cup mayonaise; at least. you will probably want more
1 1/2 tsp yellow mustard; not dry (the kind from the squeeze bottle)
12 eggs, hard boiled
1 cup apple cider vinegar, divided; minimum amount
1-1/2 tbs pickle relish
3/4 tbs dry parsley flakes or twice that if; fresh is available
1 big pinch celery salt
1/2 medium white onion, diced fairly small. you can use twice or three times; if you prefer
4 celery stalks, split down middle of wider; end, then chopped. about 1/4 inch or slightly smaller; pieces (to your own taste/texture. again you can use; more or less if you desir

This is not a light potato salad, but if you go to the trouble to make it a day ahead, you'll be rewarded with a really excellent potato salad.

Gather ingredients. Boil potatoes whole. If your potato size varies much, put in the larger ones first. A medium sized potato will take ABOUT 25 minutes total. A smaller one maybe 18 minutes. One of the keys here is to boil the potatoes till cooked but still a little firm. If they are cooked till soft, then the subsequent stirring will render the salad mushy. You don't want them crunchy, but just cooked and still firm. That's the first secret!

Peel the potatoes when they are still warm. The warmer the better. Peeling them AFTER they are cooked seems to make a difference in taste. They MUST not cool entirely or the vinegar will not be absorbed properly. I peel them almost straight out of the pot when still darn hot. That's the second secret! Cut them into irregular chunks, little wedges about an inch or slightly less on a side with the greatest thickness about a half inch. Just cut a little off one end, then cut another small chunk off, then keep cutting pieces off in random sizes of varying shapes, mostly you end up with very irregular pyramidal shapes....You want pieces big enough to not turn into mush but small enough for ...your liking! The 'edges_will eventually break off and mush up onto the salad while the larger parts of the bodies will remain whole.

You are cutting, peeling and dropping them into a large bowl. There really should be two people doing this or one should work as quickly as possible.

After you have cut up a potato or two, sprinkle them fairly generously vinegar and stir around a bit in the bowl..just a bit so you get the vinegar that fell to the bottom of the bowl on the potatoes. As you finish a potato or two, sprinkle each (they should be warm to hot when you sprinkle, if possible...THAT's the BIG secret to this recipe) fairly generously. I put my finger over the end of the bottle of cider vinegar and drizzly drip it onto the potatoes making sure each is sprinkled well. If you run out of the half cup, just use more. Each potato gets a fairly generous sprinkling of vinegar. THAT point is more important than the measurement of the 1/2 cup of vinegar above. Note: I don't measure out a half cup and then pour it on them. That would be awkward. I did measure this once so I could have a recipe for a friend and I learned I sprinkled ABOUT a half a cup. Salt them at this point; I don't know how much....Just salt them like you like.

The vinegar needs a comment. The importance of a generous sprinkling of vinegar while the potatoes are warm/hot can't be over emphasized. They will soak up the vinegar. I am always amazed at how much vinegar it takes and how when they are done, the vinegar is tasted, but the dish is not 'vinegary_ like a hot german potato salad which I hate....trust in a good sprinkling of vinegar at this point and if in doubt, sprinkle a little more!

Stir in the other ingredients, leaving the eggs to last. Chop up the eggs,slicing, cutting in whatever size/shape you wish but we are not talking about whole or half eggs here. Cut them up. The yolks will fall apart when sliced up and that's ok. Stir all the eggs into the rest of the mix. The yolks will incorporate into the salad and you don't have to worry about them; don't stir forever or worry about being gentle or anything. Just mix it up.

Add the other 1/2 cup of vinegar. If you are a real chicken, you may wish to add only a 1/4 cup but it will probably take it all (and maybe even a bit more eventually). Take a taste. Add some more salt if needed.It will be good but not perfect at this point. Taste it again. Note the vinegar flavor peeking through.It may even be fairly vinegery (that's a word, right?) at this point, in fact it should be almost too strong with vinegar. The vinegar flavor will diminish over the next night and you'll have to add more later, so don't worry about adding too much. Add as much as you think tastes good. Cover and put in a fridge over night. THAT's the last big secret. Taste again after sitting in the fridge overnight.

Notice that the vinegar flavor is much softer. Add some more vinegar and let that absorb for an hour or two. You may well have used much more than the 1 cup total by this point. Salt to taste if needed. You can serve this without the overnight setting but it will truly be a noticeably better salad the next day.

You will want to adjust the amount of mayo to suit your taste. I like a pretty mayoee salad. Probably even a bit more than this calls for.Some don't. You may want more or less celery. My wife doesn't like any (egads!)

None of these amounts need be exact, but they are close enough for a good starting point. The key is to use more vinegar than you could have imagined, sprinkling well while the potatoes are hot and firm but not crunchy. The rest is all 'to taste'.

I've never served this to a group that didn't ohh and ahh over it. It is a bit of an effort but if you take the time you will have some of the best potato salad ever.

Contributor: Bud on rfc

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do. I always get lots of compliments on this potato salad
From: byakee at COLDmail.com (byakee)
Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2004 14:58:07 GMT
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Hark! I heard Wayne say:
> Celery?
> Celery Seed?
> Sweet Pickles or Dill Pickles or both or not at all?
> Stuffed Olives?
> Hardboiled eggs?
> Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip or maybe homemade boiled dressing?
> Sour Cream?
> Mustard?
> Onion or Scallions or not at all?
> Fresh parsley?
> Fresh dill?
> Lots of dressing or just to coat or somewhere in between?

No celery or celery seed, sweet pickle only (because I can't stand dill weed, unfortunately), no olive, yes to the eggs, Best Foods aka Hellman's mayo, no sour cream (nice idea though), a bit of mustard, onions (minced), no parsley or dill, add some Worchestershire sauce and enough dressing to coat plus a bit more, 'cuz the spuds will soak it up and I don't like dry salad.

> What's your favorite? Recipes? I make mine up as I go along. :-)

When all is said and done, I prefer macaroni salad to potato, and in my case it's essentially the same recipe -- got it from my mom, although she didn't use the mustard or Worchestershire sauce.

Jeez Louise, did you start a thread or what..? ;-)
From: Wayne (waynebw at att.net)
Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2004 15:13:21 GMT
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byakee wrote:

> No celery or celery seed, sweet pickle only (because I can't stand
> dill weed, unfortunately), no olive, yes to the eggs, Best Foods aka
> Hellman's mayo, no sour cream (nice idea though), a bit of mustard,
> onions (minced), no parsley or dill, add some Worchestershire sauce
> and enough dressing to coat plus a bit more, 'cuz the spuds will soak
> it up and I don't like dry salad.

You must not like "crunch" in your PS. I'm sure many don't, but I gotta have the celery. :-) Interesting touch, the Worcestershire sauce. I'll have to give that a try. Yes, Best Foods out here in Phoenix. Hellman's when we lived in Ohio.

> When all is said and done, I prefer macaroni salad to potato, and
> in my case it's essentially the same recipe -- got it from my mom,
> although she didn't use the mustard or Worchestershire sauce.

I never liked macaroni salad until I made it myself. Now I love it! I think I didn't like it before because most I had tasted was probably made with Miracle Whip and had a rather sweet taste. Like yours, my mac salad is basically like my potato salad.

> Jeez Louise, did you start a thread or what..? ;-)

Seemed like a good idea at the time. :-)
From: rosie read and post (readandpost at yahooORhotmail.com)
Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2004 10:16:26 -0500
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(for those of us who LOW CARB and still miss potato salad, i use cauliflower, raw, and broken into bite size pieces.)
From: MareCat (Nittany_Lion_in_Houston at NoSpam.com)
Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2004 12:17:39 -0500
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Wayne wrote:
>What's your favorite? Recipes? I make mine up as I go along. :-)

My way to prepare potato salad is very simple. I just made some last week, and my husband proclaimed it as "the best potato salad I ever had."

I use red potatoes and boil until tender (but not mushy). Then cut 'em into fourths (or eighths, depending on how big the taters are). I then mix a few tablespoons of potato water with a couple of tablespoons of white vinegar and a tablespoon or so of salt and pour that over the warm potatoes. Then I add chopped hard-boiled eggs, onion, and celery, and mix in a good amount of mayo to coat. Adjust seasonings to taste. Chill until ready to serve.
From: Jason Tinling (only_ocassionally at yahoo.com)
Date: 14 Jun 2004 18:32:50 GMT
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Wayne wrote:
>_Traditional_, mayonnaise-based potato salad...what do you put in it?

Red potatoes, boiled to tender, not mushy. Cut to small pieces, eighths or less, depending on potato size
4-6 pieces of bacon, fried crispy
Green onions, chopped fine
Cider vinegar
Mayo
Sour Cream
Dijon Mustard
S and P

Cook and cut potatoes, place in a ziploc with vinegar, refrigerate overnight.

Mix mayo and SC about 50/50 (I like a little more SC for extra tartness, a little less greasy mouth feel). Mix in a half tsp or so mustard for a cup of mayo/SC mix (more or less if you like dijon). Add S & P and green onion. Let sit in fridge overnight with potatoes.

Take a piece of potato, dip into dressing for taste. Leave dressing undersalted. Adjust flavors as desired.

Add potatoes, mix and refrigerate. About an hour before serving, mix in crumbled bacon.
From: Colin Reed (colin-reed at lineone.net)
Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2004 22:00:53 +0100
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MareCat wrote:
> I use red potatoes

Does no one use baby new potatoes - that's a harder waxy variety such as charlotte or pink fir - and leave them whole with the skins on? I find it gives a much better flavour - ie you can taste the potato. My preference is to leave out the mayonaise and just dress with an olive oil based dressing. Occasionally I will make my own mayonaise, as it's far better than anything out of a jar and takes about 10 minutes to make. You must beat by hand - if you're going to eat it you need to burn off the calories in advance! Always dress a potato salad when warm so that the potatoes take up more of the flavour. If you're just using an oil based dressing (I tend to add lemon juice rather than vinegar) the potatoes will actually absorb the oil if they're warm.
From: Larry Smith (larry at wildopensource.com)
Date: Wed, 16 Jun 2004 18:34:34 -0400
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Wayne wrote:
>_Traditional_, mayonnaise-based potato salad...what do you put in it?

Try adding some French Dressing to the mayo to give it some color and some extra flavor.

My wife also routinely adds pickle juice rather than just dill. Seems to make it a bit richer.

Chopped chives also make a nice addition when fresh.
From: Wayne (waynebw at att.net)
Date: Thu, 17 Jun 2004 03:11:40 GMT
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Larry Smith wrote:
> Try adding some French Dressing to the mayo to give it some color
> and some extra flavor.
>
> My wife also routinely adds pickle juice rather than just dill.
> Seems to make it a bit richer.
>
> Chopped chives also make a nice addition when fresh.

Nice additions worth remembering. Thanks!
From: hw (queenbe at earthlink.net)
Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2004 18:58:07 GMT
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Wayne wrote:
> What's your favorite? Recipes? I make mine up as I go along. :-)

red rose or white rose potatoes
I use the pressure cooker to cook 'em up, leaving the skins on..
hard boiled eggs (shredded in the food processer)
celery (also shredded in the food processor)
white onions (shredded in the food processor)
Celery seed..
kosher salt
fresh pepper
Best Foods Mayo (Hellman's east of the Rockies)

Mix together & sit in the fridge several hours to blend flavors