So there are tons of “home-made” potato salad recipes out there. Mine is nothing like those! The next potluck or BBQ that you bring this to, people will STOP talking about how delicious your BBQ chicken and they will DEMAND to know where you bought that delicious potato salad!
Vinegar drenched potato (seriously, do not miss this one!) some celery added to keep crunch and boiled egg with the same creamy, tangy dressing with a hint of sweetness to transform that starch into pure addictive goodness!
Why Soak Potatoes in Vinegar
It is not needed, but it does not hurt to acidify your potatoes before tossing with dressing. This is the why of why the 15-20 min. vinegar soak is not entirely a gimmick:
- Vinegar seasons the potatoes on the inside, not just the outside, whereas the plain boiled chunks themselves have 0 flavor to start; dressing is only on the surface, not inside of.
- Potato salad will absorb the liquid hot or cold. Hot potatoes absorb much more so pour the vinegar on them while they are still warm, thus, the vinegar sinks in to the middle instead of pooling around the outside and eventually evaporating.
- That tang is crucial to cutting through the creamy Miracle Whip, lest you create nothing but one layer of rich, boring, flat dressing.
- It gives the salad its own characteristic punch without tasting like vinegar since vinegar becomes flavor background by serving time and the other ingredients complement it.
- You get boring, mushy potato chunks coated with dressing if you skip the step. Do not skip the step.
Why Use Miracle Whip Here
MIRACLE WHIP: That is what makes them the best potatoes. Plain old Hellmann’s is too rich.
When the mayo has soaked into the white vinegar it starts the taste that is reminiscent of Aunt Sue’s potato salad. The celery seed enhances the taste even more.
NO SUBSTITUTES of mayonnaise make a decent salad like it. The amounts of Miracle Whip may sound enormous at first, but I found the potato salad does seem to absorb a ton of mayo.
Avoiding Mushy Potatoes
I find texture the most important thing to make or break this. Follow those five rules and your salad will never fall victim to overcooking:
- Wax types of potatoes: Red bliss, yukon gold, fingerling or others suitable for salads that will keep their shape. Do NOT use russet potatoes, as they will absolutely break down into paste no matter how hard you try.
- Cut cubes to exactly 3/4 inch. Any difference and your small cubes will be mushy and your large cubes will still be too hard.
- Test at 25 minutes by poking with a fork. Done potatoes have slight resistance when poking with the fork and do NOT just let the fork fall into them.
- Drain and dump onto a sheet pan right away so that they do not keep steaming in the pot and continue overcooking, turning into a mush.
- Gently fold in with a rubber spatula; hard stirring can crush everything into mush.
Make-Ahead & Storage Tips
- Make it up to 24 hours ahead (flavors get even better in the fridge overnight!).
- Place in airtight container. Refrigerate for 3-5 days MAX.
- Absolutely DO NOT freeze, for two reasons: First, the Miracle Whip weeping will separate it into a curdled mess.
- Stir gently prior to serving, as dressing settles at the bottom.
- Always add egg slices and paprika right before serving.
Grandma Potato Salad
Ingredients
For the potatoes
- 3 lb potatoes (cut into 3/4-inch cubes)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp white vinegar
For the mix-ins
- 3 stalks celery (diced into 1/4-inch pieces for crunch)
- 6 green onions (thinly sliced)
- 4 hard boiled eggs (roughly chopped)
For the dressing
- 1 1/2 cups miracle whip (Kraft brand preferred)
- 1 1/2 tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 1/2 tsp celery seed
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
For the garnish
- 1 hard boiled egg (sliced into rounds)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Instructions
- Cut the potatoes into 3/4 inch cubes and put them in a large pot of water. Bring the water and 1 1/2 tsp. salt to a boil over high heat and boil for 30-35 min. While potatoes cook, prepare ingredients for Step 2.
- While your potatoes cook, dice celery into small (1/4-inch) pieces and thinly slice green onions. Roughly chop 4 hard-boiled eggs and then set aside and slice in rings one more hard-boiled egg, reserved for garnish. In another bowl, mix Miracle Whip, yellow mustard, celery seed, 1 tsp. salt, pepper and sugar. Whisk until smooth and combined.
- Drain the potatoes well into a colander. Carefully arrange the potatoes in a baking sheet and allow to cool to room temp for 10-15 min. Then, move cooled potatoes to a large bowl. Pour oil and vinegar over potatoes. Gently toss to cover, then set aside for about 15-20 min.
- Combine potatoes with the diced celery, sliced green onions and chopped hard-boiled eggs. Pour the mixture from Step 2 over the salad. Gently but completely stir the dressing with a rubber spatula. Avoid mashing potatoes or breaking the shapes. Make sure the dressing evenly coats each potato cube.
- Turn potato salad into a big serving bowl. Refrigerate at least an hour prior to serving. Before eating, place the sliced rings of hard-boiled eggs on top of the potato salad and then, to take it up a notch, dust them with smoked paprika.
